The Next Chapter
by Alleybat
Summary: Jason and Cass have been together for over a year. They've been through countless battles and hardships together, but the most recent development in their relationship is something neither of them were prepared for.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I make mention of some headcanon children I have for Dick and Barbara in here. They'll be mentioned in future chapters. The only thing important to know at the moment is that their daughter, Sarah, is two years old, and Babs is supposed to be pregnant with another child. That story is for another fic and another time.**

The sound of Cass retching in the bathroom had become and all too familiar sound in the last few days. Jason stood at the bathroom door, feeling totally helpless to do anything for her as she laid her head on the toilet seat, breathing heavily, her body still shaking.

"Baby Bat..." he said, walking over to rub her back a little, she was drenched in sweat. "Maybe, I should call Barbie or something? See if she has any idea what's wrong?" Cass turned to look at him, her face was pale and bags were starting to form under her eyes from the restless nights of running to the bathroom every time she got comfortable.

"Yeah... that sounds like a good idea." she replied weakly. Jason was beginning to learn that when Cass gets sick, she gets sick in a big way. He was gonna have to start being more diligent about taking care of her at the slightest hint of a sniffle. He kept his hand on her back, massaging it gently, while slipping his phone out of his pocket with the other. He hit Barbara's name in his phone and placed it next to his ear, listening to it ring a couple of times before he heard her familiar voice from the other end.

"Jason? What are you calling me for? You never call me." Her voice changed from surprised to concerned. "Is this about Cass? Is anything wrong?"

"Yeah, actually." Jason answered, looking worriedly at Cass. "She's been throwing up for three days straight it seems. I've been making sure she eats and drinks, but it doesn't take long for it to come back up."

"That's not good at all." Barbara replied. "Does she have any other symptoms? Anything out of the ordinary for her?"

"Uhm, I dunno. Hold on." Jason took the receiver off his ear. "Cass, has anything else been going on with you? Anything weird, or another symptom?"

"I don't know if it's relevant." She said. turning herself to look him in the eye. "But a couple of days before this started, I thought I got my period... but it lasted a day and there wasn't much there." Jason lifted the phone back to his ear to tell Barbara but she cut him off.

"I heard what she said, and here is what you're going to do Jason. Are you dressed?"

"Yeah, I am." he said, slightly confused. "I was about to make a run to the store for more bread cause I've used it all making toast."

"Good, you need to pick something else up while you're there." Barbara said. "You might want to go now."

"Alright." Jason said, still wondering what was on Barbara's mind. He turned to Cass, who was watching him for any news. "I'm going to run to the store, Baby Bat. I will be right back I promise." Cass nodded and took a drink from her bottle of water, still breathing heavily. Jason picked himself up off the bathroom floor and with one final look back at Cass, made his way to the front door. "Alright, Barbie... What am I getting? Some kind of Pepto Bismal-like medicine?"

"Actually," Barbara sighed from the other end. "You're getting a pregnancy test." Jason stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Come again?" he said, unsure if he heard that right or not.

"You need to get a pregnancy test." Barbara repeated as clearly as she could. "Cass is showing some signs of morning sickness, the light period she had was probably from implantation." Jason's face wrinkled at the sound of the word 'implantation'.

"Are you sure?" he said, fast walking to grocery store now. "Maybe, there's something else wrong."

"I'm not saying it's a guarantee she's pregnant... I'm just saying we should rule that possibility out."

"Right, right." Jason made his way through the automatic doors. "So, where are these things?"

"You'll find them in the baby aisle... you know where the diapers, and formula, and pads, and _condoms _are." The extra emphasis on the word condoms spoke volumes to Jason about how Barbara felt about this entire situation. He really was in no mood to argue with her, though. He found the aisle she was talking about and stood staring at the different boxes of pregnancy tests in front of him, it was like the first time he had to buy pads for Cass all over again.

"So, which one do I get?" he asked.

"Pick a box, Jason..." He could almost hear her rubbing her temples over the phone.

"Well, this one says 'earliest detection' and this other one says 'best results, 99% accurate'... Which one is better?"

"They all tell you the same thing, just close your eyes and grab one." As soon as she finished her sentence, the sound of crying could be be heard from her end. "Look, Jason. Sarah just woke up from her nap and Dick's at work. You can handle the rest on your own, just call me when you get the results." And with that, she hung up. Jason pulled his phone from his ear and stared it down for a second before slipping it back in his pocket. He looked over the rows of boxes in front of him again and took her advice, blindly grabbing the first box his hand would reach. He checked the price and did some quick math in his head to figure out if there was enough in his wallet to pay for both the test and a loaf of bread, or if he was going to have to use his emergency card. He sighed walking past the bread, grabbing the cheapest off-brand loaf he could find.

There weren't very many customers at this time of day, and there were only two tellers, each with equal line lengths. This kind of thing was always a toss up, and Jason always picked the wrong line. He'd always end up stuck with the slow talkative tellers, or the customers who have to ask a million questions, or someone has the one thing that doesn't have a barcode on it and there's a good wait for someone to find one. Jason took a step back to assess both the tellers, one was an older woman, talking it up with her current customer, and the other was a teenage girl, probably no older than seventeen. The thought of entering either line with a pregnancy test and a loaf of bread was not appealing to him. Before he could entertain the idea of waiting out the end of the shift, the teenage girl waved him over. He sighed and set his stuff down on her conveyer belt, her line had moved faster, but he still ended up in the wrong line. She took one look at his items and gave him a little smile, her eyes twinkling.

"Are you and your wife expecting?" she asked, ringing up the test first.

"Uh, no." Jason answered, digging into his back pocket for his wallet. "This is uh, just a precaution you know."

"Why would you worry about a pregnancy test if you're not expecting?" Her eyes flashed at him again with a weird kind of innocence that made him uncomfortable.

"Well, you know." He started digging for the bills in his wallet, according to what she already rang up, he had just enough cash. "Things happen... And I just want to check to see if... 'that' happened."

"You don't seem very excited." She took his bills and sorted them into the cash register, digging for his change. "You know a baby is a gift from God, right? You should be thrilled if your wife is pregnant."

"Well, you see." Jason took his change and reached for the bag she handed him, praying for his receipt to print. "We're not really trying, and she isn't my wife." The girl's eyes narrowed a little bit as the receipt finally started printing.

"You do know that you're not supposed to copulate until you're married right?" she tore off the reciept, but didn't hand it to him. "Your child will be a bastard, and you'll all go to hell." Jason reached over the counter and snatched the receipt from her hand.

"Yeah, well. I've got a lot of things I've done in my life that I'm going to go to hell for. Might as well do something worthwhile beforehand." With that, he turned a heel to leave, not before the girl could get the final word in though.

"You know Jesus loves you."

He lifted the grocery bag over his head in defiance and made sure to say loud enough for anyone in the area to hear.

"This one's for you then, big guy. Thanks a lot."

The sarcasm in his voice wasn't lost on anyone, there were a few sniggers from some, others just shook their head at him. He left, still holding the bag up as high as he could without banging his hand on the doorway. The whole encounter left a bad taste in his mouth but he had new worries now. Now he had to get home and see if Barbara's suspicions were true, or if he was going to have to take Cass to the doctor.

* * *

He opened the front door and saw Cass curled up on the couch asleep. This was part of the cycle, she'd sleep for a solid two hours or so then wake up and eat something and be fine for about an hour or two, then she'd be in the bathroom for another half hour. He was torn though, he really needed to get her to take this test, but he didn't want to disturb her. It didn't take long for that to be remedied because the sound of the door closing caused her to start from her sleep.

"Baby Bat, it's okay, it's just me."Jason said, walking over to run his hand over her forehead, she was warm and still sweating.

"Did you get what Barbara told you to?" She asked, sitting up.

"Uh, yeah... I did." He responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, what is it?" She asked, her eyes flashed at him. Her ability to read people's body language never dulled, no matter how out of it she was.

"Well, it's uh..." He started. "Look, Barbie thinks that, there's a possibility that... Well that you could be, pregnant." Her eyes went wide and she looked from him to the bag in his hand.

"So..." She started, reaching for it. "That means."

"Uh, huh." He said, pulling the box out of the bag and handing it to her. She looked it over for a second before tearing into it, pulling out the white stick and examining that too.

"How do these work anyway?" she asked looking the box over in her hand. He sat down next to her on the couch and took the box from her, searching it for instructions.

"Well," he took the stick from her and removed the little cap from the end. "I know you're supposed to pee on it right here, so it can get a reading... and" He looked the box over. "According to this, we wait five minutes for results... that's a pretty long time actually, I bet there were others that didn't take as long."

"That'll work, I just drank a whole bottle of water and need to go anyway." She took the stick from him and stood up, making her way to the bathroom.

"Do you need any help?" he called after her.

"No, Jay. I think I have this one covered." And she shut the door behind her. He turned the box over in his hand again, five minutes, that was going to be an eternity. He suddenly remembered the loaf of bread in the bag and decided to do something useful and made his way to the kitchen. Cass seemed to be feeling better for the moment and some toast would probably calm her stomach down a little bit. He grabbed a couple of slices, sticking the heel of the bread in his mouth to munch on until he could get something better to sustain himself. He pushed the trigger on the toaster down and made his way to the bathroom door, taking a bite out of the bread as he went.

"How're you doing in there?" he called tentatively, leaning against the door and chewing.

"Good, I think you can set a timer or something now." she called back as he heard the toilet flush. He didn't need telling twice. They used to have a little egg timer around somewhere, but he set the timer on the microwave instead. Five minutes, four minutes fifty-nine seconds, four minutes- he shook his head, trying not to watch it. Instead he turned his attention back to Cass in the bathroom.

"What would you like on your toast?" he called.

"Just butter is fine." She called back, opening the door and leaning on the doorway to support her weight. "I don't know if I'll be able to finish it though." Even from the kitchen he could tell she was starting to lose whatever color she'd regained since laying down.

"You need to at least try," he said as the toast popped up. He grabbed a paper plate and opened the fridge, grabbing the butter. "You need to eat whenever you can or else we'll have to go to the hospital and get you a feeding tube or something." he picked a clean looking butter knife out of the drawer and started spreading a good amount of butter on the toast, it was still hot enough that the butter melted on impact. "I really don't want to do that." He put the toast on the plate and started making his way over to her, taking a glimpse at the microwave as he went, three minutes and twenty-three seconds. He held the plate out to her, giving his best 'please, just try' look. She took a slice off and took a bite, sighing a little as she chewed. "Good, thank you."

"I feel like all I've eaten in the past few days is toast." she said, taking another bite.

"Yeah, well it's the only thing you seem to be able to keep down." he responded, catching a glimpse of the pregnancy test poised on the sink. "Do you really think that you're-?"

"Honestly?" she cut him off. "I don't know. I know that I've been sick, but Barbara has never acted sick when she was pregnant. Even now she's perfectly fine, and she's a lot farther in than I would be."

"If I know anything about this though," He tucked some wayward hair behind her ear. "It effects everyone differently. Some women get 'morning sickness' others don't."

"I don't have any kind of 'morning' sickness, I have 'all the time' sickness." She grabbed the second piece of toast.

"I think that's just the name for it, I don't think it matters /when/ you get sick, you just are." he said turning to head back to the kitchen to throw the plate away. His heart almost lept through his chest when he saw the timer, forty seconds. He stood rooted to his spot in the kitchen, holding his breath, watching it count down. Cass eyed him from the doorway of the bathroom.

"You're just going to make yourself crazy staring at it." she said, finishing off her toast. "Whatever the result is, we can't change it. Don't let it give you a heart attack." He peeled his eyes away from the microwave to look at her.

"Shouldn't you be worried too? This is _you_ who would be pregnant."

"I am worried, Jason." She hugged herself tightly. "But-"

The sound of the microwave beeping cut her off, Jason was listening to her so intently he nearly jumped out of his skin when it sounded. Cass took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom with Jason fast behind. By the time he got to the doorway she was examining the test.

"Well?" He asked, his heart beating against his ribcage.

"What do two verticle lines mean?" She turned her head to face him, looking puzzled.

"Uh, lemme check." He made a beeline for the couch, where the box was still sitting. A quick once over and he found the found the results guide. Two verticle lines: pregnant.

It was like his heart fell to the floor and then hopped back up into his throat. He let the shock wear off and cleared his throat,

"Cass?" he called, but the sound of her throwing up again brought him to the bathroom door. "Baby Bat..." he sat down next to her, rubbing her back again. She breathed heavily for a second and flushed the toilet, turning to look at him. Something in her eyes told him she already knew the results, but she was waiting for him to say it. "The test was positive..." He brushed some hair out of her face. "You're pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

The silence between them was deafening. Neither of them looked at each other, Jason stared at the wall, while Cass stared at the cabinet he was leaning on. Jason's mind was racing, but no thoughts actually registered, he was just numb. A wave of nausea overcame Cass again, breaking the silence.

"Baby Bat..." Jason said, turning his attention to her. "Why is this happening to you?"

Cass took a deep breath, flushing the toilet. "You said it yourself, Jason. Morning sickness."

"No." He shook his head slowly. "I mean, why are you going through this? This has never happened before. We've been together for over a year and this has never been an issue."

Cass pushed herself off the toilet, taking the time to consider what he was saying. "I don't know. Considering how easily Barbara got pregnant both times, I'm actually surprised this didn't happen sooner."

"But," Jason bit his lip. "I don't know, I never thought this was going to happen to us." Silence overcame them again. He tried to rack his brain for an answer. Maybe there was a possibility that she wasn't pregnant. "That's right!" He perked up, causing her to jump. "It could have been a false positive! It happens!" He stood up. "I'm gonna get a couple more tests. Then we'll decide what to do."

He rushed out the door before Cass even had the chance to try and stop him. She sat in the bathroom for a few minutes just trying to wrap her brain around the idea. A baby, inside of her. She ran a hand over her stomach. Is it possible it was a false positive? Something told her it wasn't, but Jason was determined to make sure. She picked herself up off the floor and spotted the test still sitting on the sink. She brought it with her, back out into the living room, where the box was thrown carelessly on the floor. She picked it up and looked it over, comparing the reading on the stick to the picture on the box. Pregnant. She let out a breath of air she didn't realize she was holding in and sat on the couch. The nausea seemed to have subsided, but she was in no mood to eat or sleep. A baby. A real, living person.

The front door swung open before she could think on it any more and Jason strode in, another bag in his hand. This one looked full of boxes. His body language spoke volumes. He was nervous, scared even. He set the bag on the table in front of her.

"I got one of every brand." He said in response to the face she gave him. "Just, take one every time you go to the bathroom, and we'll decide what to do from there."

"Jay..." She started.

"Don't." He groaned, sitting down next to her. "Don't try to calm me down. This is serious. We need to be sure."

She put her hand on his, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. He was shaking ever so slightly. She sighed and got up off the couch, feeling his eyes on her the whole time. She opened the fridge and cracked open a bottle of water and chugged down as much as she could. The cold water filled her whole chest and she coughed a little when she pulled the bottle away.

"I suppose I'll drink as much as I can today." She said, walking back over to the couch to sit down next to him. "So we can get this over with."

He nodded, "That would be nice." They returned to silence. Neither of them daring to say what was on their mind until they had more proof. By the time two empty bottles of water were sitting on the coffee table, another test was being taken. This one didn't take near as long for results, only three minutes. Jason decided to make some soup while he was waiting. Maybe it was because she was now focused on something else, all the water she was putting into her, or a combination, but she seemed to be doing better on the vomiting front. He wasn't going to waste the opportunity to get something good into her.

By the time the soup was done and put in bowls, the second test was ready. A blue plus, positive. Jason sucked some air in through his teeth as Cass sat down to eat. She didn't say anything, she just watched him out of the corner of her eye.

"So, what do you think?" He finally said. "About all this?"

She paused with the spoon next to her mouth to consider his question. "I don't know. It hasn't sunk in yet I guess." She said. "I think the more positives we get, the more likely that it's actually real." She stuck the spoon in her mouth, thinking while she swallowed her soup. "Would it be a bad thing though? If it were real?"

He swallowed, staring down at his own soup, which was going untouched. "I haven't decided yet."

The rest of the meal was silence. Cass grabbed another water bottle out of the fridge. Jason started pacing the room. More empty bottles of water, and another test. This one was more advanced than the others, it actually gave a reading of 'Pregnant', rather than a line or a plus. Although, the clear reading only stirred Jason's nerves more. Cass laid on the couch to try to get some much needed sleep. Jason decided to try and calm his nerves and stepped outside with a box of cigarettes.

A deep drag and he tried to will himself to actually think. A baby, she's pregnant. He stomped one butt beneath his boot and lit another. Stupid, Jason. He'd never used a condom, not once. This was a bomb just waiting to explode. A third cigarette. The two of them, parents. He couldn't wrap his brain around it. Their lifestyle wasn't proper for raising a kid. They can barely take care of themselves. Getting three meals a day was a challenge most of the time. What are they going to do with another mouth to feed? Another cigarette. And what about Cass? She'd have to deal with carrying the baby, having the baby. He reached into the pack again, it's empty. He pulled himself out of his head to look at his feet, a packs worth of cigarettes on the ground. He took a shaky breath but his nerves refused to calm down.

He walked back into the apartment. She looked so relaxed, laying there asleep on the couch. He sat on the floor next to her, pushing some hair behind her ear. Her face contorted and all the color drained instantly. Her eyes shot open and she covered her mouth with her hands and ran to the bathroom.

"I thought you were doing better?" He said, walking to the bathroom for the umpteenth time.

"Cigarette smoke." She manages between waves. "Overwhelming."

"_Shit._" He whispered to himself, hitting his forehead on the door frame. "I'm so sorry, Baby Bat. I'll-" He caught himself before walking over to her to rub her back. "I'll change into some smoke-free clothes."

She sat up as he left. As long as she was awake, she was going to get another bottle of water. There were only two tests left and she was determined to get them done today. He came out of the bedroom in some clean clothes. Their eyes met and he strode over to her, hugging her. The smell of cigarettes still remained on him, but it wasn't near as strong. She squeezed him back and they stayed like that for a little while, until he broke the silence.

"What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, pulling back enough to look up at him.

"I mean, what are we going to do about the baby?" He said, looking serious now.

"I don't understand what you're asking."

He blew some air out of his mouth. "Well, do you want to keep it?" The sentence took a lot of effort to say. His whole body tensed when he finished, and he studied her intently for an answer.

"What else could we do with it?"

He let go of her and started to pace a little bit. "Well, our lifestyle isn't necessarily the best for a baby. And I don't know a thing about taking care of a kid." He felt like he was vomiting out words. "You'll have to carry it, give birth to it. Then we have to take care of it until it's eighteen. Then-" She caught his arm, stopping him. "Right. deep breaths, I know." He took long deep breaths as she eyed him, drinking more water. "What I'm saying is, do you think we're really parent material?"

She didn't answer at first, she just looked at the floor. After a few tense moments of silence, she answered him, "I think we are."

He swallowed. How could she be so sure? "There's always another option." She didn't say anything, she just waited for him to finish his thought. "Well, a couple of options but I don't really want to suggest-" he cleared his throat, "I mean, there is always the option to adopt it out. Let someone who can take care of it, have it."

She finished off her water and hugged herself, thinking. "Hold that thought." She said and walked over to the growing pile of empty boxes to dig for an unused test. She headed into the bathroom and he couldn't help but feel like he just suggested the worst possible thing to her. She called out the time from the bathroom and he set the timer. He didn't watch it this time, his mind went back to being blank. Cass didn't leave the bathroom until the timer sounded.

"Positive." She said.

"Of course it is." He muttered. She walked over to him in the kitchen, grabbing another bottle of water and standing next to him. He waited for her to pick up their conversation from where they left off. Halfway through her bottle of water, she cleared her throat and looked up at him.

"Did you know that Stephanie had a baby?"

The question took him by surprise, "No, I didn't." He didn't know too much about Stephanie Brown. All he knew was she and Tim were married, and she was Cass' best friend. Other than the Batgirl thing of course.

"She was a teenager." Cass continued, leaning on the cabinet. "She put it up for adoption." Jason tensed, he had no idea. Cass took a breath, "She told me about it. To the normal person, she'd probably appear fine, but... She actually thinks about that baby a lot. She wonders how it's doing, if it's getting the love it deserves." Cass drank some more water. "I don't know if I could live like that, not knowing, wondering." She cut off and looked at the floor. Jason closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly.

"Okay, forget I even said anything." He kissed the top of her head. "It was just me babbling to myself more than anything. I just, I guess I'm scared, Cass." She looked up at him.

"I understand, I am too, but..." She bit her lip. "Is it okay to be... excited?" His eyes widened.

"I hadn't considered that." He admitted. He was too busy cursing himself, worrying about her, and just genuinely freaking out to allow himself to be excited, to think about this situation as a good thing. She broke free from his grasp to grab another bottle of water from the fridge.

"Jason." She said, with a small smile. "A baby." Her eyes danced as she said it. "A little bit of you, a little bit of me." Her smile grew and he caught himself smiling back at her. She drank some more water. "We created life. The two of us." She wrapped her arms around him. "Can you believe it?"

He caught himself grinning, "That's-" he started, but he found himself at a loss for words. He tilted her face into his and kissed her over and over. "That's amazing." Something about her words calmed him, made him actually start picturing it. She'd be an amazing mother, he'd seen how she interacts with Dick and Barbara's daughter, Sarah. Cass was so gentle with her, and her ability to read body language caused her to know what Sarah wanted before her parents even did. She broke free of him and headed to grab the last test. She smiled at him before heading to the bathroom. He set the timer on her signal and walked around the apartment, picking up all the bottles of water. He set them all on the counter, no wonder she was going to the bathroom so frequently. He started picking up the boxes when the timer beeped. Cass came out of the bathroom, smiling and holding the test in her hand.

"Positive."

He smiled this time, "We're going to have a baby."


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of his phone ringing woke him up. He had decided to skip out on patrol for the night and keep Cass company so she didn't feel the need to go out. He reached around blindly for his phone, smacking it off the nightstand in the process. He groaned and rolled over, almost falling off the bed.

"This had better be worth it." He muttered, pulling his phone up to look at the caller. The light temporarily blinded him, but he was able to make out Barbara's name on the ID. "Barbie? It's the middle of the night. Why are you calling me?"

"You never called me back." Barbara's voice responded, sounding annoyed. "And this is early for you guys."

"Normally it would be." Jason yawned. "But we went to bed early tonight. I didn't want Cass going out on patrol."

Barbara paused for a second before asking, "Because she's sick, or because she's pregnant?"

"Both." Jason responded, not sure how Barbara was going to take the news. There were a few seconds of tense silence.

"That's-" She started, but stopped herself. "How does Cass feel about all of this?"

"She's excited, a little scared and taken off guard, but excited." He said, smiling to himself.

"That's great." Barbara said. She paused again, "What are you guys going to do then?"

"What do you mean? We're keeping it, if that's what you're asking." Jason said.

"No, I mean, what are you going to do about a doctor? She doesn't have one where you are does she? She doesn't even have one here... but she needs to get checked up on."

"Oh... I hadn't thought about it. That wasn't really a subject we discussed today."

"Right, okay." Barbara sighed. "Well, I know that my doctor has always been good about keeping information under wraps, you know, from the media. You guys were planning on coming back to Gotham at some point anyway right?"

"Uh, no?" He said. He turned his attention to Cass, she was sound asleep. He wrapped his arm around her, setting his phone on his face. "We haven't talked about it."

"Well, don't you want to tell everyone, that Cass is pregnant, in person?" She asked.

"I guess we probably should, yeah." He conceded.

"Good, and when you get here, I'll help her set up an appointment with my doctor." There was a murmur in the background, sounded like Bruce's voice asking for Oracle. "I have to go Jason, I'll see you guys when you get here." And with that she hung up.

* * *

He woke up, his arm still draped over her. He smiled, she finally slept through the night. He kissed her shoulder before turning to roll out of bed, catching himself at the last second and standing up straight. He was most definitely not going to wake her up and he dug through the dresser, putting on a pair of boxers, before walking out into the main part of the apartment. He searched through the cabinets before finding a near empty box of Lucky Charms, taking the box with him into the back room. His case files were laying open on the desk and he looked a few of them over. Most of them were closed, with the main man in jail, but there was the occasional one that had some loose ends that needed tying. A lot of them were in Gotham, people who ran the books, or partners who were unaccounted for. He tilted the box to finish off the cereal, even without the recent news of Cass' pregnancy, he would have had to return to Gotham at some point to put these files to rest. He made a pile on the desk chair so he knew what he needed to take with him. Tim hounded him all the time for not keeping his files in a computer, but he preferred how easily these kinds of things could be destroyed, and how hard they were for others to get ahold of. If something went sour, he could easily just burn them and no one would be the wiser.

The house was starting to get stuffy, he tiptoed back into the bedroom to get a pair of pants on. It was mid September, but still scorching outside so he wasn't really feeling a shirt. His eyes wandered to a pack of cigarettes he had sitting on the dresser. As good as they sounded right now, he didn't want to upset Cass' stomach again, so he left them.

The air outside was warm, he stretched and headed down the stairs of the fire escape. No one else lived in this building, it was considered abandoned a long time ago, but he came upon it when he first came to this town and fixed up one of the decent looking apartments himself. Sure, it wasn't completely legal, especially the method in which he got water and electricity, but no one was complaining yet. Their bikes sat in the parking lot at the bottom of the stairs. He frowned at them, with the baby in the picture, they weren't going to be able to get by with only the motorcycles. He walked around to the back of the building where an old Pontiac Firebird sat, and no, the irony of the name was not lost on him. He found it years ago, sitting on the side of the road and decided to make it a pet project to fix up in his spare time. He opened the hood to inspect the engine. He played with it a lot when he first got it, but he hadn't touched it since Cass came back into his life. There was a fine layer of grease on everything, he reached in to check some hoses and attachments to check their condition. Most of the hoses were worn to the point of having holes in them. He sighed, replacing the entire engine would probably be cheaper than replacing the individual parts.

He heard her behind him, but didn't turn to greet her. His head was too invested in the car.

"What are you doing?" She asked, leaning in to look at the engine with him.

"Just looking at this old thing. Seeing what I need to do to get it working." he kissed her forehead. "We can't exactly strap a carseat to the back of our motorcycles."

She smiled up at him, "I'm glad you're taking this better. I was worried about you yesterday."

He sighed, "I know, I'm sorry." He closed the hood of the car and moved to hug her, but she backed away from him.

"Your hands are all dirty."

He frowned down at his hands before looking up at her and smirking, reaching a hand up to smear some grease on her nose. He was very aware of the fact that if she was firmly against him doing it, he wouldn't be able to. He took some steps towards her and she took a couple steps back, smiling playfully at him. He closed the distance between them and started tickling her, pulling her to the ground.

"Stopstopstopstop!" She managed, trying to push his hands off of her.

"Nope, we'll not have that." He said, grinning. He lifted her shirt over her head and pinned her arms down under the fabric. She glared at him as he ran his hand over her stomach, leaving a trail of grease. He smiled at his handy work and leaned over her, kissing her and keeping her hands pinned down.

"Ahem." a voice behind him called. Jason shot straight up, looking towards the source of the voice to see Roxy standing there smirking at the two of them. He quickly pulled Cass' shirt back down to cover her, feeling his cheeks flush. "And what are you two doing?"

"I was, looking at the car." Jason said, getting up off of Cass and helping her up.

"Sure didn't look like that to me." Roxy responded, crossing her arms, still smirking. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, it had grown a lot since she left the life behind her. She still drew on that beauty mark over her lip though, Jason was starting to think that it was actually something she enjoyed having, rather than something she did to get customers.

"Alright, fine. You caught us." Jason said, waving his hands around in defeat. "What do you want anyway?"

"Thought you two might like to come over for dinner tonight." She said. "Jane found a recipe that she's dying to try out."

"That sounds-" Cass started, but Jason cut her off.

"Sorry, Roxy. We can't. We're headed back to Gotham today." He said, shrugging.

"You are?" Roxy asked.

"We are?" Cass echoed, looking at Jason confused.

"Yeah, Barbie called last night." He said, turning his attention to Cass. "Wants us to come home and tell everyone the news in person."

"What news?" Roxy asked, looking between the two of them. Before either of them could answer, Cass turned pale again, taking deep breaths. Jason sprung into action immediately, finding a bucket that was sitting in the car with his tools in it and dumping it out before handing it to Cass in time for her to throw up into it. He sighed and took the bucket from her, rubbing her back. Roxy stood by, "You're pregnant."

"Yeah." Cass answered weakly. "How can you tell?"

"I've seen a lot of morning sickness in my previous life." Roxy answered glumly. Jason was already rinsing the bucket out with a hose on the side of the building. "How long have you known?"

"We just found out yesterday." Jason said, turning the bucket over to drip it dry. "That's why we should go back to Gotham, tell the 'family'." He thought on it for a second, "At least that's what Barbie said. The way she was talking to me, she expects us back asap."

"Weren't you guys _just_ in Gotham though?" Roxy asked. "I don't know if Cass here is up for the trip."

"Yeah, we were, for my birthday." Jason said, running his hand through his hair. "And I don't like the idea of traveling while she's sick any more than you do, but Barbie made some points about getting her a doctor's appointment... So I suppose we should get that taken care of."

Cass and Roxy nodded. "Well, I guess I'll get back home. You two have a safe trip." She paused before smiling, "I expect to hear a report about that baby." She pulled them both into a hug. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Roxy. We'll be in touch." Jason said as she let them go and turned to leave. "Well," he turned to Cass. "do you want to wait before leaving? Or just get on the road?"

"Let's just get going." Cass answered, stretching. "I don't feel too bad right now, but it's pretty unpredictable, no need to wait it out."

"Alright." He said. They headed back up to the apartment together. Getting packed and moving was an easy venture since they kept clothes at all their safe houses. Jason was only concerned with getting all of his Red Hood equipment together, along with his case files. Cass stared at her Black Bat stuff, but neither of them bothered with it. As long as she was pregnant, they weren't going to risk the baby's life. They went through the fridge, checking for anything that was going to go bad. Luckily they hadn't really gone grocery shopping much since they got back to this town, so there wasn't anything that needed to be finished off. They left the apartment, making sure all the windows were closed and locked. Jason took Cass' bike and hid it in an apartment on the lower floors that was gutted out. It had enough bells and whistles on it to keep it from being stolen, but this was to protect it from any weather.

The drive from the town they were, to Gotham was about a five hour one on a good day, but Cass being sick, coupled with Jason wanting to be extra careful with her on the back, made it much longer. It was getting into the evening by the time they pulled up next to Dick and Barbara's place. They both got off the bike and stretched. Jason was quick to the door, since Cass was beginning to look sick again.

"Jason? Is that you?" Barbara's voice came over the comm.

"Yeah. You said you wanted us to come back." Jason said, annoyed. "Hurry up and let us in, Cass needs to lie down."

"Right, of course." The lock on the door clicked open and the two of them made their way into the living room. Barbara was already waiting for them. "You guys got here fast."

"Not really. We had to pull over a lot, so Cass could throw up." Jason said.

"You should lay down, Cass. You've had a long day." Barbara said, gesturing towards the couch. Cass didn't need telling twice and flopped herself down face first into the couch. "You guys didn't _have _to come back today." Barbara said, turning her attention back to Jason.

"Well, you sure made it sound like you wanted us back." Jason said, rubbing his face. "Besides, we have no idea how long this morning sickness is going to last. We couldn't have just waited it out."

"This is true." Barbara said. Before either of them could take the conversation further, Dick walked in holding Sarah. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Jason.

"Jason? What are you doing here?" He said. Sarah grinned at Jason and waved.

"Hi, Uncle Jason." She said.

"Hey there, kiddo." Jason said. "And Cass and I have some business here, Dick."

"Pfff, 'business'." Barbara said. Dick looked between Barbara and Jason, confused.

"Where is Cass?" They both gestured to the couch where Cass lifted a hand to wave at Dick. "Is she okay?" He set Sarah down and she toddled over to Cass, trying to get a better look at her.

"Leave her alone, Sarah." Barbara said. "She doesn't feel good."

"What's the matter?" Dick asked. "I'm so confused here." Jason bit his lip, he wasn't ready to start telling everyone the news. Mostly because he wasn't sure how everyone was going to take it. "What?" Dick said, watching Jason's expression.

"I'm pregnant." Cass mumbled into the couch cushions. Dick's eyes went wide and he looked from her to Jason.

"Really?" He asked. Jason just nodded, tensing in anticipation. Dick burst into a smile and he walked over to him. "Congratulations." He slapped him on the shoulder. "I can't believe it. Little Jaybird is going to be a daddy."

Jason groaned, so this was how he was going to react. He was pretty relieved that he wasn't lecturing him, though. "I know, I can hardly believe it myself, Dickie-bird." They both shared a smile.

"So, I guess Cass is having a bout of morning sickness then?" Dick asked. "Babs had a couple of spells when this pregnancy started." He gestured to Barbara, who was about seven months along.

"More than just a spell." Jason said, frowning at Cass. "She can hardly keep anything down."

"Well, Cass, I just made some dinner. Think you're up for some?" Dick asked.

"No, Dick." Jason said. "We'll get something on our way to my safe house. There's probably not enough for all of us anyway."

"There's plenty." Dick said. "I like to make extra so I can have it as leftovers."

"Besides, I don't think Cass is up for more traveling." Barbara cut in. "We have an extra room, how about you two just stay here tonight?" She pushed herself out of the chair she was sitting in. She was still a little wobbly on her feet, but she could walk without much assistance now. She'd come so far in the year since her spinal replacement surgery, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she was back to one hundred percent. Dick moved to help her and she waved a hand to stop him. "Just get Sarah to the table, Dick. I'm fine." Jason watched the three of them head to the dining room before kneeling down next to Cass.

"What do you think, Baby Bat?" He asked. She turned her head to look at him.

"I don't know if I want to get back on that motorcycle today, Jason." Cass said.

"Alright." He said, holding out a hand to help her off the couch. "C'mon, you need to eat something."

Cass pushed herself up off the couch and took his hand, standing up. She wobbled a little bit, holding her head. She shook off the dizziness and made her way to the dining room, where Dick, Barbara, and Sarah were already eating with Jason not far behind.

"Sit down, eat." Dick said gesturing to two empty chairs where plates were already set out for them. Jason made sure Cass was sitting down before he took his own seat. He spooned some food out for the two of them and they all ate in silence for a couple of minutes before Barbara set her fork down.

"Cass, how are you doing?" She asked.

"A little sick." Cass answered, smiling at Barbara. "But, I'm happy."

"That's great." Barbara said. "That's so great." She paused, smiling at Cass. "I'm so happy for you." Jason and Dick sat in silence, just listening to the girls talk. Jason knew how much Cass looked up to Barbara, and he could tell how much her approval meant to her. "To think that years ago, I was so concerned with you leading a normal life, and you found one on your own." Cass smiled widely at her.

"I know you worried about me a lot." She said.

"I did, but I suppose you needed to find your normal life in your own time, without me forcing you." Barbara replied, throwing a look at Jason. He felt himself blush a little bit. He wasn't used to these kinds of conversations. Dick chuckled to himself, setting his fork down.

"I still can't imagine it." He said. "You two, parents."

"I know." Jason responded. "I'm still working out the shock myself."

"You have a lot to learn you know." Barbara said to the both of them. "That's why I want her to get to the doctor as soon as she can, so he can tell you all about it."

"_He?_" Jason asked, feeling his body tense.

"Yes, my doctor is a male." Barbara answered, looking pointedly at Jason. "Is that a problem?"

Jason sucked some air through his teeth. No, he didn't like the idea of Cass' doctor being a man. Dick cut him off before he could answer.

"I was kind of against the idea too, Jay. He's good at his job though, I trusted him when Sarah was born, and he's going to deliver my next daughter." He leaned his head in his hands. "It's near impossible to keep all men out of the delivery room anyway, so you might as well get used to the idea."

"Fine, okay." Jason said, feeling like there wasn't much argument to be made. Cass had nothing to say on the subject it seemed. Dick got up, taking everyone's dishes with him.

"Do you two have something to sleep in? I saw you had a bag." Barbara said, wiping some food off of Sarah's face.

"Well, actually..." Jason started. "The bag only has my equipment in it. We have clothes at my safe house so we didn't bother packing anything."

"Maybe we have something you guys can sleep in then." She said, standing up.

"That's not really necessary, Barbara." Cass said. "We don't really sleep in pajamas." Jason avoided Barbara's gaze, Cass had a way of being very blunt and truthful about things that didn't necessarily need saying. Barbara didn't say anything, she just sighed.

"I'll find you something to sleep in." She said, heading to their bedroom with Sarah toddling not far behind. Cass yawned widely.

"You should go to bed, we're gonna have a long day tomorrow." Jason said, taking her hand.

"I suppose." She answered, smiling sleepily. He brought her hand up to kiss her fingers as Dick came in from the kitchen.

"You both look exhausted." He said. "I'm going to be going on patrol once we put Sarah to bed, and Babs is going to be up doing the Oracle thing. You might want to get to sleep before all that happens." Jason yawned, nodding slightly.

"Sounds like an idea." Dick lead them to the spare bedroom, the bed in there was smaller than any of the other ones they had. Barbara came in behind them with a t-shirt in hand.

"I doubt any of Dick's pajama pants will fit you Jason." She said. "But I found something for you Cass." She handed her the shirt. "I need to get Sarah to bed. I'll see you two in the morning." She walked out with Dick close behind.

They both got undressed, Jason kept his boxers on and Cass pulled the shirt over her head. They crawled into bed and he pulled her close to him, to make sure there was enough room for them.

"How are you feeling, Baby Bat?" He asked, kissing her forehead.

"A little better." She answered, digging her head into his chest. "I've been nauseous a lot, but I've obviously been throwing up less."

"I guess that's a good thing." He said, running a hand over her back. She didn't answer him, he pulled back to look at her, she was already fast asleep. He smiled, it was so good to see her relaxed. He stared at her for a while, before he finally fell asleep himself.

* * *

The glaring light of the sun coming in through the windows blinded Jason when he woke up. He rubbed his face and groaned. Cass was facing away from him, wrapped up in the covers. He was used to waking up with barely any covers, Cass had always been a restless sleeper. It was weird the first time they shared a bed, but since then he'd become used to it. In fact, the few times he's had to sleep on his own he found it hard to fall asleep without her moving beside him. He turned to roll out of bed and fell to the floor, smacking his tailbone.

"_Damn it_." He whined. He forgot how small the bed was and he didn't realize he was poised on the edge. He reached around to rub his backside and felt a tickling on the back of his head.

"Are you okay?" Cass asked, running her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I'm alright." He said, turning to face her. "I'm looking forward to being in _our_ bed tonight though." Cass nodded and sat up to stretch, the shirt Barbara gave her was twisted around her in all kinds of directions. She sighed and fixed it before moving to the floor to sit next to him.

"I know, I'm sorry." She said, snuggling into him.

"No, no, no." He said, nuzzling his face into her hair. "It's not your fault at all. You were sick and tired." He kissed her head a couple of times and sighed, keeping his face in her hair. She pulled back from him, putting a hand on his cheek and smiling at him.

"You need a shave." She said before kissing him. He frowned and ran his hand over his chin. He didn't shave yesterday and the scruff was starting to get out of control.

"I know. I don't think I want to bother Dick and Barbie for their shower though." He stood up, picking her up in his arms.

"Mmm." She answered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "How about we get dressed, get home, and get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Well that's good." He said, putting her down. "You haven't had an appetite in days." He picked up his jeans and slipped them on. She nodded and started getting dressed herself.

"I feel like the last few days of barely eating have finally caught up to me." She said, holding her stomach.

"Well, let's get you some food first then." He said, opening the bedroom door. It was then that the murmur of voices from the living room became apparent. He rounded the corner to see Tim and Stephanie sitting and talking with Dick and Barbara.

"Jason?" Tim asked, blinking a couple of times. "What are you doing here?" Cass poked her head around Jason to get a better look and Stephanie jumped up instantly to rush over and pull her into a bear hug.

"Cass! We had no idea you were back in town!" She exclaimed. "You should have called! What are you doing sleeping at Barb's place anyway?"

"You didn't tell them we were here?" Jason asked, walking more into the living room.

"We figured you guys would want to surprise them yourselves." Dick shrugged.

"Surprise us with what?" Stephanie asked, her eyes dancing. Dick and Barbara smirked, they both looked tired, they probably hadn't gone to bed at all since the nightshift by the looks of it.

"Thanks a lot, _Dick_." Jason said rubbing his face. "We can't even have a few minutes to breathe? Cass is hungry."

"The sooner the better." Barbara said, giving him a stern look. "And there is breakfast in the kitchen if you two want some."

"Fine." Jason said, turning his attention to Tim. "Cass is pregnant. We came back to tell everyone." Tim's mouth hung open for a second. Stephanie was the first to say anything.

"Is that true?" Cass nodded. "Congratulations then!" She hugged her tighter than before. Something on Cass' face told Jason there was something wrong. He turned to say something but Tim caught him.

"That's great, Jason." He said, smiling. "I never pictured you as a father, though."

"You and me both." Jason chuckled. He turned his attention back to the girls, Stephanie was still congratulating Cass over and over, but Cass watched her sadly.

"Stephanie." She said, finally. "I'm going to eat some breakfast. Would you like to keep me company?" Stephanie nodded and the two girls headed for the kitchen. Jason felt his stomach growl, but chose to let the girls talk. Something was obviously up and Cass wanted to talk to Stephanie about it in private.

Cass walked into the kitchen, there was already a stack of pancakes waiting. She found herself a plate, stacking a couple on and drizzling some syrup over them before sitting down next to Stephanie in the dining room.

"Cass, this is-" She started, but Cass cut her off.

"What's wrong, Stephanie?"

"Huh? Nothing's wrong. I-" Cass glared at her. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?'

"No, you can't." Cass said, taking a large bite of her pancake.

"Damn you and your creepy body reading thing." She put her head in her hands. "Without that, I could have just been happy for you."

"You are happy for me." Cass said, eyeing her. "There's just something else. What is it?"

Stephanie sighed, biting her lip and avoiding eye contact. "It's just." Her eyes were starting to water a little bit. "Tim and I. We've been trying, for months, to get pregnant." Cass paused from eating.

"Stephanie..."

"No, I shouldn't feel jealous of you." She shook her head. "You're pregnant, Cass! I'm so happy for you!"

"Stephanie..." Cass said again.

"I'll be okay, Cass." She squeezed her hand. "We just need to keep trying." She smiled, a tear slipping out. "Hey, if I get pregnant soon, our kids will be the same age. They could be best friends."

Cass smiled back at her, starting on her last pancake. "I'm sure they will be. And I'm sure it will happen for you soon." Before Stephanie could respond, Tim and Jason walked in.

"I'm telling you, birthing classes are the weirdest experience you will go through." Tim said.

"You don't even have a kid, Tim." Jason scoffed. "How would you know?"

"I practically did." Tim pursed his lips. "I helped Steph through her pregnancy before. And I'm telling you, birthing classes." He shuddered.

"What's the point in birthing classes?" Cass asked, scooping the last bite of pancake into her mouth.

"The hospital made me take them." Stephanie turned to her, explaining. "Some places do, in order for them to deliver your baby."

"That's... odd." Cass said, standing up with her plate. "Isn't that a natural thing?"

"Yeah, it is." Tim shrugged. "But they want you to take them, so you're not totally in the dark." He looked between the two girls for a second before clearing his throat. "Is everything okay, by the way?"

"Everything is perfect." Stephanie answered, getting up to wrap her arms around him, pulling him into a short kiss. "Just a little heart to heart between best friends. Right, Cass?"

"Of course." Cass smiled, taking her plate into the kitchen with Jason fast behind. She set her plate in the sink as he caught up to her.

"_Is _everything alright?" He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You sure looked upset a few minutes ago." Cass spun herself around to hug him.

"It's fine, really. Don't worry about it." He shrugged, turning himself to pick up one of the pancakes from the stack and bit into it.

"So, I've been thinking. We just told Tim and Stephanie. Now the only people left are all at the manor."

"Yeah?" She watched him eat, already knowing where he was going with this.

"How about, we head to the manor, tell everyone, then the rest of the day can be us getting to the safe house and relaxing." He stuffed the last of the pancake into his mouth and raised his eyebrows at her.

"I thought you wanted to shower and shave first?"

"Eh." He said, grabbing another pancake. "I don't really care if Bruce and all them think I look like a hobo." He took a large bite, talking through it. "Beshi'esh, I kin'a wanna ge' dish ober wif."

"Okay." she said, heading back towards the living room with Jason in tow. Tim, Stephanie, and Dick were all standing around talking. "Where's Barbara?"

"She went to bed." Dick yawned. "We had a long night. It was crazy out there. Tim and Steph were just agreeing to watch Sarah for a few hours so we could get some sleep."

"I see." Jason's eyes wandered to the bag with his equipment in it, still sitting by the door. "We were talking about heading to the manor to tell Bruce and everyone, then going home."

"Is Bruce in for a shock." Dick mumbled. "I guess I'll see you guys around." He rubbed his face, yawning wider than before. Cass and Jason started making their way to the door, but Tim caught her.

"Hold on a second." He pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations, partner. I couldn't be more happy for you."

"Thanks, Tim." She said, grinning. "We'll see you." He pulled away, smiling at her. Jason reached back to take her hand and waved goodbye to the room while bending over to pick up his bag, closing the door behind them.

The ride to the manor took about fifteen minutes. Luckily, it was a work day and there wasn't much traffic. The winding roads that took them to the scenic estates outside of Gotham were completely empty. Not a surprise, most of the people who lived out here owned various companies in Gotham and didn't really bother going to work everyday, or at all, in some cases.

They pulled up in the circle drive of the manor and got off the bike. Jason turned to Cass as she took off her helmet, she was starting to look rather green again.

"You alright, Baby Bat?" He asked, pushing some hair out of her face.

"I'll be okay." She smiled. He frowned, wishing there was something he could do for her.

They walked up the steps to the manor and the door swung open before either of them could knock.

"Master Jason, Miss Cassandra." Alfred said. "To what to we owe the pleasure?"

"Hey, Alfs." Jason said with a smirk. "We had some news we wanted to share with everyone. Is Bruce home, or is he actually working today?"

"He is still here." Alfred answered, moving out of their way so they could come in. "But, I must say, Miss Cassandra looks quite worse for ware. Are you sure you don't want to save the news for later?"

"There's really no point in waiting until she feels better." Jason said. "Besides, I have no idea _when_ she'll feel better, so we might as well get it over with."

"Get what over with?" Damian said, coming in from the kitchen. "I thought you two were back to running around, playing house?"

"Didn't think you would be home, kid." Jason scowled at him. "Thought you might actually be in school."

"-Tt-" Damian walked closer to them. "School doesn't start until next week, Todd. Pay attention." It was then that Jason noticed that Alfred was gone, he must have gone to get Bruce. Damian turned his attention to Cass. "Are you going to be okay, Cain?" His expression softened a little bit. "You look terrible."

"I'll survive." Cass answered just as Alfred came back into view with Bruce not far behind. Jason felt a lump work it's way into his throat. If anyone was going to lecture him about Cass' pregnancy, it was going to be Bruce. He was just going to have to grit his teeth and bare it.

"Jason, Cass." He said, nodding at them. "Alfred says you have some news?" He looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep at all, Dick wasn't kidding about them having a long night. Jason looked to Cass, hoping for a little support. She was starting to look wobbly, moving her hand up to hold her head. He needed to get this over with, before she passed out where she stood.

"Yes, we do." He said, putting a hand on Cass in an attempt to steady her. "Cass is pregnant."

"Are you sure?" Alfred asked immediately.

"Yes." Jason answered. "She took a bunch of tests, they were all positive." Alfred smiled, but Bruce didn't react. Jason was beginning to wish he had Cass' ability to read people, but even then he wasn't sure if there would be anything to take from him.

"Don't you two know there are ways to prevent that from happening?" Damian broke the silence.

"I don't want to hear a 'safe sex' speech from you, _Kid._" Jason retorted. Bruce held up a hand to stop the two of them.

"I think it's safe to say that the important thing at this very moment is for Cass to lie down."

"Right." Jason said, looking down at Cass. She was looking worse by the second. He bent over and picked her up, bridal style, before heading for the stairs.

"Jason." Bruce called after him. "When you get her situated, I want to talk to you."

"Of course..." Jason mumbled, carefully climbing the stairs. He knew that he was going to get a lecture from someone, it was going to be Bruce. Especially since he was the one most against his and Cass' relationship in the first place. Although, Jason had a feeling that no one would ever be good enough for Cass in Bruce's eyes. Or maybe he just wanted her to remain one of his vigilant soldiers, who had no life outside of the hero business. His jaw clenched thinking about it and he felt her hand cup his face. He paused outside his old bedroom door to look at her. She smiled at him.

"It'll be okay." She said.

"I don't know." Jason said, opening the door. "Bruce didn't look too happy." She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to kiss him a couple of times.

"There's really nothing he can do. Even if he's totally against it." She said as he carefully set her on the bed. "I'm staying with you; I'm having the baby."

He felt a warmth in his chest, hearing her say that gave him a special brand of strength, like he could take on the world. He leaned over her, kissing her and pulled back to lean his forehead on hers. It took all of his willpower to stand up straight again.

"I'll be back." He said, running his hand over her cheek. "You just relax in the meantime." She put her hand on his and smiled, closing her eyes. He walked to the door and took one last glance at her before heading out to face Bruce. Alfred was waiting outside of the door.

"Master Bruce is waiting for you in his father's study." He said.

"Thanks, Alfs." He sighed, moving to head down the hall.

"If it helps at all, Master Jason." Alfred said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't be happier for you and Miss Cassandra." He smiled, squeezing Jason's shoulder a little. "Seeing all of you kids growing up, falling in love, starting families, it makes my heart sing. I only wish Master Bruce would have allowed himself what all of you have found sooner."

"Bruce is married to Batman." Jason said, turning to face Alfred. "And honestly, if it wasn't for Cass, I don't even know where I would be right now." He glanced at the door and back to Alfred, who was beaming at him. "Make sure she's okay while I'm talking to Bruce, alright?"

"Of course, Master Jason." He let go of him. "She will receive nothing less than the royal treatment." Jason smiled and made his way to the study. Even after years of not staying in the manor, he knew the layout like the back of his hand. Bruce insisted on having all 'important talks' in his father's study. Maybe it was something reminiscent of his childhood. Thomas Wayne probably spent long hours working in the study and gave Bruce all of his fatherly guidance in there, so Bruce just kept on the tradition when he needed to have a serious discussion with anyone. Jason opened the door and Bruce turned in his chair to face him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and walked over next to him. Bruce gestured for him to sit in the chair opposite and Jason obliged. They sat there for a minute, the tension building as Bruce contemplated where to start.

"How's Cass doing?" He finally asked.

"She's laying down." Jason answered.

"And, what are you planning?" Bruce said.

"What do you mean?" Jason felt himself tense.

"What are you going to do after this? Where are you staying?"

"My safe house, of course."

"Your safe house, in the middle of Crime Alley?" Bruce narrowed his eyes at him.

Jason's jaw clenched. "It's not that bad." He leaned forward in his chair. "There's a lot of security on the place, mostly to keep you guys out but-"

"So, you're willing to gamble the life of your unborn child on old security you set up years ago?" Jason's fist clenched, but he tried to keep himself calm, considering what Bruce was saying.

"I could beef it up a little. More sensors, stronger windows and doors." He said.

"And in the meantime. I want you two to stay at the manor." Bruce said, his tone saying there was no arguing the point. Jason found he couldn't really find an argument anyway, he didn't want Cass or the baby to be hurt in his own safe house.

"Fine." He said.

"What are you and Cass planning to do about this?" Bruce said. This was the conversation he was working up to.

"What do you mean?" Jason was beginning to wish he would say what he means, rather than beating around the bush.

"Are you two going to get married? Give the kid a proper life?" Cass' words echoed in Jason's head 'I'm staying with you; I'm having the baby.'

"The two of us have discussed this subject before." He said. "And we decided that marriage isn't for us." Bruce's eyes narrowed even more at him. "Look, Bruce. I'm legally dead, I can't get married."

"We could easily forge an identity for you." Bruce cut him off. "Oracle has done it for all of us. She can do it for you."

"So, who will I end up being? Cause I most certainly can't be Jason Todd. My name is known, thanks to you." His jaw clenched again. "I told you, we've discussed this. Cass said she doesn't want to marry a fake identity."

"You could do something informal, prove that you're going to stay with her to the rest of us." Bruce said.

"What? So _you_ can feel better about it?" Jason scowled. "I don't need a damn ceremony and a couple of rings to prove I love her, Bruce. I think I prove that to her everyday."

"Obviously. Considering your current situation." Bruce said. Jason's vision flashed red for a moment and he had to take a couple of breaths to calm himself.

"Are you saying the baby is a mistake?" He said, his voice just above a whisper. "Because, if you are, Cass and I can just leave. You obviously think we can't do anything right."

"Calm down, Jason." Bruce said. "I'm merely saying that you don't plan things out, and now you need to suffer the consequences." Jason shot up from his seat.

"Don't you dare, Bruce." He said, starting to pace a little bit. "Don't you dare say that in front of Cass." Bruce just watched him move back and forth in front of him. "She is excited. She wants to have the baby. And you know what? So do I. I never thought I would have the chance to have a family. When I came back, I thought it was just going to be the Red Hood for the rest of my life. But, she gave me something better, and now she's giving me a family. So don't you _dare_ call it a mistake. And don't you _dare_ make her feel like you are anything less than happy for her. Because she still looks up to you, in her own way." He stopped pacing and faced Bruce again, who stood up and walked over to him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Congratulations, Jason." He said, his eyes a little softer. "You know full well that I was against Cass staying with you in the first place, but it seems I need to step back and accept that the two of you are right for each other. She obviously has had an impact on your life, in more ways than I can even contemplate."

"She has." Jason caught himself smiling. "You really have no idea, Bruce."

"I'm glad." Bruce smiled a little. "All of you, Dick and Barbara, Tim and Stephanie, you and Cass, you all have found lives and started families. Appreciate the fact that you will be able to see your child born and raise it. I didn't get that chance, because I've been too caught up in my work. I'm lucky Damian is here, and I was able to have some kind of an impact on his life. But, you. You get to shape your child, watch it grow. Don't waste the opportunity. And don't stop appreciating Cass."

"I don't think that's even possible." Jason chuckled. "But, thank you, Bruce. Cass will be happy to know you're on board." Bruce patted his shoulder before letting him go.

"Go, take care of her. She's got a rough nine months ahead of her, and she needs you every step of the way."

"Right. Of course." Jason headed for the door. He definitely didn't expect the one eighty Bruce just pulled, but it made him happy. It was a weight off of his mind to know that everyone supported them. He quietly opened the door to his bedroom, Cass was sitting up, eating some soup. "Hey, Baby Bat. How're you feeling?"

"Better." She said, smiling. "I guess your talk went well?"

"Yeah." He made his way over to sit on the bed next to her. "He says congratulations, and that he's happy for us." He kissed her forehead.

"That's..." She smiled widely. "That's a load off my mind." She spooned some soup into her mouth.

"Mmm." He leaned his head on hers. "That smells amazing, by the way. Alfred's special 'feel better' soup?"

"Mmhmm." She said, scooping up some more and holding it next to his mouth. "Try some." He wrapped his mouth around the spoon, the taste was something familiar. Alfred made him this soup every time he got sick. He danced a little where he sat.

"That hits the spot. Alfred always knows what to make." He laid down, keeping an arm around her waist. She set the bowl on the nightstand and laid her head on his chest.

"So what are we going to do now?"

"Now, we're going to stay here, until I can beef up some security at the safe house." He yawned. "Then, I suppose we'll just stay here in Gotham, so you can go to the doctor and all that stuff Barbie was talking about." She leaned her head to look up at him.

"Does that mean you plan on staying in Gotham until the baby is born?"

"Yep. It's not so bad." He smiled, squeezing her and leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I suppose I can live with other people taking your attention away from me." She laughed a little bit, laying her head back on his chest. He sighed, running his fingers through her hair. "These people are family, after all."

* * *

Selina opened the door to the study. Bruce was sitting in his usual spot, looking deep in thought. His chin resting in his hand.

"I thought I might find you in here." She said, making her way over to him. "What are you doing? I thought you were going right to bed?"

"Jason and Cass came home." He said into his hand, his eyes watching her approach.

"Really? Where are they?" She said, sitting on his lap.

"Probably in Jason's old room. He just left me." Bruce answered, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"And what are they doing back so soon?" She ran her fingers through his hair.

"They came back to tell me that Cass is pregnant."

"Really? That's great!" Selina said, grinning widely.

"Yeah, I suppose it is." Bruce said, breaking eye contact for a moment.

"What? What's the matter?" She asked. "What are you sitting in here contemplating."

"Jason just stood up to me." He answered.

"Hasn't he done that before?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"This time was different." He said. "He didn't care what I thought of him. He defended Cass, and the baby. He stood up to me, not for his sake, but for hers." He paused, contemplating it for a second. "I don't know when he suddenly became a man. But it threw me off guard."

Selina chuckled a little bit, "All of those kids are growing up. You're going to have to take a step back and realize that their decisions are

their own." She smiled at him. "I, for one, am very happy for them. They're all extremely lucky."

"Do you regret that we didn't get together sooner, Selina?" Bruce asked. "We've done the dance for years. Being together, splitting apart, dating other people only to come back to each other. Do you regret that _we_ never settled down and had kids of our own."

"I have enough kids thanks to you." Selina laughed. "Besides, I can spend the rest of my life regretting things I had no control over."

"I could have stopped obsessing over the work. I considered it a few times." He said, squeezing her a little bit. "I guess my own ambition left me blind to the life I could have had."

"If you and I had gotten together a long time ago, both of us discarding the masks, then we'd be sitting here wondering what it would have been like if we hadn't given up on that." She said. "I don't regret anything. I look forward to all the kids having their own kids. That way, I can love on them and send them home to their parents." She grinned, standing up and running a hand over his cheek. "C'mon, let's go to bed."


	4. Chapter 4

The Batcave was the same as always, down the stone steps from the grandfather clock sat the computer. Where Bruce was staring intently at a map of Gotham, highlighting areas and placing markers. Jason watched him work as he approached.

"What are you doing down here, Jason?" Bruce asked without turning from his task.

"Well, Barbie asked Cass to go over to her place to tell her about baby stuff." Jason sighed. "So, I figured in the meantime I could help you guys with this case. I can be another pair of eyes at the very least." Bruce paused from his map to turn the chair and face Jason. He was already in the Batman suit, and he stood up, pulling the cowl over his face. "Or, if you don't want my help, I could just work on my own cases that I have."

"Jason." Bruce said, his Batman voice very prominent. Which meant that he was about to lecture Jason in some way. "You're still a wanted criminal in Gotham. You killed a lot of people, and the police aren't going to let that go just because you've had a change of heart."

Jason sucked some air in through his teeth, "I can avoid the police. I did it a lot before and when I was on my own."

"Nevertheless, I don't want the Red Hood operating in Gotham." He turned to head for the Batmobile, and stopped right before getting in. "Look, Jason. Jim's retired as commissioner and the new one isn't going to be so quick to take my word on something like this. You don't want to be stuck in jail while your child is being born, do you?" He got in the car and started it up while Jason stood there with his mouth open, trying to come up with an argument. There really was none to be made and he sank into the chair at the computer as Bruce drove away.

"He made some good points." He said to himself, spinning the chair around. The giant mechanical T-rex coming into view. "What do you think Rexy?" He asked it. "Maybe it's just me, but I still feel like he doesn't trust me to keep my word." He sighed. "Then again, I don't think I've given _anyone _a reason to trust me. Cass has stopped me from killing people a couple of times since we've been together." He spun toward the computer, looking at the case Bruce and the others were working. Some kind of drug ring it looked like. They'd isolated a few key players and drop zones, but it looked like it was going to be a waiting game until they got their supply in. Jason pulled his eyes away from the computer to start spinning again, just taking in the cave. He had no idea what to do with himself without Cass around. On his fourth turn he stared at the computer again for a couple of minutes before resuming. When he faced the stairs, Stephanie Brown was standing watching him with an eyebrow cocked. He jumped when he saw her, not really knowing what to say to her. They just stared at each other for a second before she smirked at him.

"Good evening, Doctor Evil."

Jason returned her smirk, placing his pinky next to the corner of his mouth, "Rexy and I have been expecting you."

"Rexy?" She walked over the the T-rex. "Rexy and I go way back, he'd never hurt me."

"_Pff_, he and I have known each other far longer than you've been in the picture."

Stephanie contemplated it for a second before laughing. "How about we get some steak and call him? Whoever he comes to gets to keep him."

Jason stood up, stretching. "What are you doing down here anyway?"

"Tim is working late." She said. "And, I dunno. I just wanted to come look around. It's been awhile since I gave the Batgirl mantle to Nell, and I haven't been down here since." She folded her arms, "What are _you _doing down here?"

"Cass is over at Barbie's. I was going to help, but Bruce quickly shot me down." He said, shrugging.

"Ah, I thought about going over to Barb's." She said. "Good thing I didn't." she mumbled.

"What's wrong?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Nothing, nothing." She started walking past everything as he followed. "I just wanted to be alone tonight." He stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, I suppose I should leave you be then." He turned awkwardly away.

"No, you're fine." She grabbed his arm. "Besides, we've never talked outside of what we've _had _to say to each other." She smiled at him, walking again. "I feel like I should get to know my best friend's boyfriend a little better. Especially if you're having a baby together."

He wrinkled his nose, "I don't really like the term boyfriend. I don't think it describes our relationship very well."

"What are you then?" Stephanie cocked an eyebrow at him. "Lovers?"

"That's even worse." He said. "No, it's hard to explain."

"Think you can try?" She asked as they came across a larger area of the cave where tons of old Batmobile's sat. "I trust Cass' judgement, but... I don't know, I like to form opinions on people myself, and you didn't exactly leave a great first impression, Mr. Red Hood."

"I know." He said, scanning the cars. "I'm very aware of how I used to be." His eyes rested on a very special Batmobile and he walked over to it. "Considering how Bruce and I met, I'm surprised he even took me in as Robin in the first place."

"I've never heard that story." Stephanie said, watching him.

Jason laughed, "You see this Batmobile right here?" He ran a hand over the hood and she nodded. "I stole the tires off of it."

"You, did?" She laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yes I did." He frowned a little. "I was alone, it was the only way I could feed myself."

Her smile fell. "You were all by yourself?"

"Yeah." He looked back down to the car. "My mom... well, step-mom was sick for about a year before she died. I thought my dad was in jail or something at the time, but I found out later that Two-Face killed him."

"I- I really didn't know." Stephanie said, quietly. "Like I said, no one really told me about you. All I knew was that you were the Robin that died. I think by the time I showed up, everyone was done telling the story."

"I guess I can understand that." Jason leaned on the car. "It's not exactly a good story to tell."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up painful memories." She said quietly.

"It's actually fine." He shrugged. "It used to bother me a lot. Cass has let me talk about my past to death though."

"Cass is good about that." Stephanie smiled. "You don't realize she's listening to you, until she says that perfect thing that just makes you feel better."

"That's for sure." He pushed himself up off the car. "I don't know why she puts up with me babbling all the time though."

"Oh, it was the same for me." She responded, walking through the museum of cars. "I always dropped in on her and just talked at her. Most of the time she didn't say anything back to me unless I asked her a question directly." She paused. "Now that I think about it, she didn't talk much at all when I first met her. She'd always say the least amount of words possible to get her point across. But now, she actually talks more like a normal person."

"Yeah, I've noticed that too." He said. "She's definitely more confident in it."

Stephanie chuckled. "Maybe the two of us constantly talking to her taught her more about it."

"I think that's true." Jason nodded. "She always asks me word meanings if she doesn't understand them."

"She does?" She stopped in her tracks. "She never did that with me."

"Yeah, I've said some slang in front of her and she's asked me what it meant." He shrugged.

"She always did that with Barb, but never me. She's only asked me to read things for her. Now she knows how to do that herself." Stephanie started walking again.

"She still reads everything aloud though." Jason continued to follow her.

"Yeah, I don't know if she'll ever get past tha- Hey! It's the Redbird!" She exclaimed trotting over to a very red, very Robin-looking car in the midst of the Batmobiles.

"The what now?" He asked, he'd never seen this car before.

"The Redbird." Stephanie said, grinning. "Tim's car when he was Robin. He loved this thing, I wondered what happened to it."

"Replacement got a car?" Jason walked over to look at it better. "I had a motorcycle, but I wasn't great on it, then."

"Yeah, Tim is the lucky one I guess." She smirked. "This thing could convert to look like a normal beater, but hit a button and, wham, Redbird." Her eyes danced as she looked at it. She had so many good memories of this car, and Tim. "He used to take me out on patrol with him, even though he would ask me every night to give it up. I just couldn't convince myself to stop being the Spoiler, mostly because of him, I think. I had a mad crush on him."

Jason smiled, letting her reminisce. He didn't really ask for details from anyone about their lives while he was gone. At first, he didn't really care. It was all about proving himself above them, being a different kind of hero. But, that was in his past.

"It stopped being about being with Tim at some point though." She continued. "Probably around the time Bruce was trying to accept me into the 'family'. Although, that was a roller coaster ride. One day, I was training in the Batcave, the next, I was locked out forever and he was telling everyone to no longer associate with me."

"What'd he do that for?" Jason interjected, scowling.

"Who knows why Bruce does anything?" She shrugged. "One minute I was fine, the next I was too headstrong and brash. Another minute I was being a great Robin, then I failed to follow orders and was fired."

"Wait, hold the phone." Jason held up a hand. "You were Robin?"

"Yeah, for like, three months?" She said.

"That still counts." He said. "So long as you wore the red tunic and had an 'R' on your chest, you were Robin."

"Heh, I know that." She said, smiling.

"How did it happen though?" He was suddenly really curious.

"Well. I kind of broke into the Batcave with my own homemade Robin costume and declared that I would be Robin from then on." She put her hands on her hips, smirking at him. "Tim had to quit 'cause his dad found out, and I dunno. I just wanted to prove myself, keep the tradition of 'Batman and Robin' alive."

"There's an origin story if I've ever heard one." He laughed.

"Yeah, probably up there with stealing Batman's tires."She returned, walking away from the car and making her way out of the museum. He followed right after her.

"That makes you the fourth Robin then." He said.

"Yep, it does." She answered.

"So you and I are the even Robins. I think I like sharing that with you better than the demon spawn."

"Damian's not that bad of a kid." She headed back up to the main cave area. "He just needs to learn to loosen up sometimes."

"You need a meat tenderizer to loosen that kid up." Jason scoffed.

"You and him just push each other's buttons." She walked past the computer towards the sparring area. "He'll slowly warm up to you if you try not to let him get to you."

"I think I'm comfortable with our relationship where it is." He said. "He and Cass seem to have a good relationship, so I can tolerate him."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Cass was the only one of us he was even remotely excited about meeting." She stretched a little. "He was disappointed in her at first, but, he's grown to respect her, maybe even look up to her."

"Yeah, I pick up on that." Jason said. "Although, I don't see how anyone could be disappointed in her."

"I think he expected her to be some kind of all powerful ninja assassin." Stephanie picked up some sport's tape and started wrapping her hands. "Which, technically she is, but I think he wasn't expecting the compassionate side of her. He saw that as a weakness."

"I understand where he gets that from." He watched her. "But her compassion is one of the main things I love about her. So it's hard for me to imagine."

She smirked at him, clenching and unclenching her fists to test the wrapping. "Now you're finally starting to answer my question about your relationship with her." She tossed the tape to him and he caught it. "Up for a little sparring?"

"I thought you were retired?" He said, wrapping his own hands.

"That doesn't mean I'm out of shape." She punched the air a couple of times. "Tim and I spar a lot actually. We're kind of ready to take up the work again at a moment's notice. We've both been getting anxious being normal."

He finished his hands and tossed the tape to the side. They stood there for a second, gauging who was going to take the first swing. Stephanie took a couple of steps closer to him, coming into his range and he took a tentative swing at her. He wasn't ready to come at her full force without knowing how good she actually was. She retaliated, blocking his arm and taking a fast swing straight at his face. He dodged to the side and looked at her wide-eyed. She smirked at him and they continued. It had been a while since he fought someone who was his equal. It was either criminals who had no real training, or Cass. They both blocked, dodged, and swung at each other until they were both sweating.

"You're good." He said.

"And so are you." She smirked. "I've learned from the best, not just Bruce, but Barb and Cass." As she finished her sentence she finally connected with her famous right hook to his jaw. The hit wasn't nearly as hard as what she would normally do, but it was enough to knock him off balance and floor him.

"Damn." He said, adjusting his jaw. She held out a hand to help him back up off the floor and started peeling the tape off of her hands.

"Remember that, 'cause if you ever hurt Cass, I'm gonna come after you and hit you for real." She said, her eyes sizing him up. "You'll have to eat through a tube for months."

"You won't have to worry about that." He chuckled, pulling his own tape off. He thought about what she was saying for a second. "Look. I know I'm not everyone's favorite person, and I haven't really given you a reason to trust me. But, you need to believe me when I say that I will never ever, hurt Cass. I couldn't, ever. She's done so much for me, and I honestly have no idea why she stays with me... You can feel free to remind me that I should feel lucky that she's a part of my life though. If I ever start acting like I don't love her with my whole heart and soul, feel free to punch me in the face again."

"That, I can guarantee will happen." She smiled and punched him lightly on the arm. "But, I will say that I trust you. I think most everyone does, now. Bruce..." She scrunched her face. "Don't worry about Bruce. You live much more peacefully when you're not constantly hoping for his approval."

"I try not to." Jason shrugged. "I'm only doing as he asks of me because he actually is making legitimate arguments. Otherwise, Cass and I would be at my safe house right now, and I'd be out on patrol."

"Well, I'm kind of glad you were here tonight." She smiled. "Gave me the chance to get to know you better."

"Do I pass the test?" He meant that a little more seriously than he let on.

"I think you do." He felt a wave of relief rush over him at her words. The clock at the top of the stairs opened and Alfred made his way down the stairs, stopping when he saw the two of them.

"I thought you were down here, Master Jason." He said. "Miss Cassandra just got home, she wanted to find you but I sent her straight to bed. She's having a rough time of it."

"All this shit she goes through because of me." Jason mumbled. Stephanie half smiled at him.

"Go on, go make sure she's okay. I think Tim will be home soon anyway." She turned to head for the stairs.

"Stephanie?" He called, catching up to her and walking behind her up the stairs. "Thanks."

"No problem." She said as they reached the top. "Just remember what I said. I don't go back on my word."

"Roger that." Alfred looked between them with a kind of knowing smile. A steaming cup of tea in his hands.

"Take this to Miss Cassandra." He held it out to Jason. "It should help her stomach a little bit."

"I will." Jason took the cup and started to head towards the stairs.

"See you around, Jason." Stephanie called to him as he started walking up the stairs.

"Yeah, bye." He called back, more focused on not spilling the tea. He came to his bedroom and opened the door carefully. Cass was laying in bed with her back facing him and he couldn't tell if she was asleep or not. As soon as he closed the door, she stirred and turned to face him, she was a little pale but she didn't look near as bad as he'd seen her a couple of days ago. "Hey, Baby Bat. I have some tea for you."

She sat up taking the cup from him and blowing the steam. "Thanks, I needed this." She took a tentative sip, a little color returned to her face. He sat down next to her and kissed her forehead. "What has you in such a good mood?"

"Nothing." He ran his fingers through her hair. "I just had a talk with Stephanie."

"And it went well." She said, smiling and taking another sip of tea.

"Yeah. She said she trusts me at least." He said.

Cass set her tea on the nightstand and snuggled into him. "That's good." He hugged her back and laid down.

"And how did your talk with Barbie go?"

"She tried to tell me every single thing that I needed to know. My head still hurts from all the information she gave me." She leaned her head on his chest. "She gave me a book to read though." She reached over him to the nightstand to grab it. He took it from her and looked it over. "She also said she made that doctor's appointment. It's next week."

"Then I guess we can read this in the meantime." He said, cracking it open. "I need to know this stuff just as much as you do. We can read it together." She smiled and laid down next to him as he started to read it aloud to her.


	5. Chapter 5

"So Cass, are you nervous for your appointment tomorrow?" Stephanie asked, joining Barbara and Cass in one of the manor's many dens.

"Not really." Cass answered. She was laying on the couch, trying to recover from a recent bout of nausea. "That book Barbara gave me pretty much told me what to expect."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you're ready for your appointment." Barbara said, bouncing Sarah on her lap. "They're going to ask you a lot of questions and do all kinds of exams that you're not used to."

"Is Aunt Cass sick?" Sarah asked Barbara, looking worried.

"No. Well, she is, but she just needs to go to the doctor for a checkup." Barbara told her. "She has a baby inside of her, just like I do." Sarah looked wide-eyed from Barbara to Cass.

"But, she doesn' have big belly like Mommy."

"She will." Barbara smiled. "It just takes time." Stephanie bent over, holding her arms out to Sarah and picked her up off of Barbara's lap, blowing a puff of air into her cheek. Sarah giggled and hugged her neck.

"I actually have some good news." Stephanie said with a big grin on her face. Cass turned her head so she could see her better and Barbara leaned forward in her chair. "Tim and I went to a fertility doctor and the results came back." She smiled wider, if that was even possible. "We're both fine. It's just a matter of trying and timing."

"That's great. I told you you didn't need to worry." Barbara said. Sarah wiggled in Stephanie's arms and she set her down on the floor, where she started to occupy herself with some toys. Barbara watched her for a second before continuing, "The only issue is that trying to conceive can be exhausting, and rough on the sex life."

"Oh, ho, ho." Stephanie laughed, moving over to the couch. Cass pulled her knees in closer to herself to give her room to sit. "Believe me, our sex life is fine. As a matter of fact, I think a new spark was ignited yesterday after we got the news." Cass could feel her eyelids drooping and she yawned, resigning herself to sleep. She heard Barbara make some kind of comment but didn't pay any attention to what it was. The feeling of Stephanie shaking her leg and calling her name jolted her back awake.

"What? What's the matter?" She asked, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"I just asked you about Jason." Stephanie said, leaning forward to look at her.

"What about him?" Cass sat herself up to join the conversation.

"Have you been paying attention at all?" Stephanie asked. "We were just talking about 'nightly activities'." She grinned at her and waggled her eyebrows.

"What? Why?" Cass asked, confused.

"It's just girl-talk Cass." Barbara said, smirking at her.

"Exactly." Stephanie said. "Girl-talk. Which you never participate in." She raised her eyebrows at Cass. "You hardly tell us anything about your life with Jason."

"That's because that stuff is private." Cass said, feeling herself blush.

"Well, sure it is." Barbara said. "But, we'd like to know that you're happy with him, and that you two are enjoying yourselves."

"Well, they're obviously enjoying themselves to a degree." Stephanie smirked. "She's kind of pregnant with the evidence." Cass groaned and rubbed her face, it was hot to the touch.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about it Cass." Barbara said. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"I don't even want to think about it right now." Cass said, looking between her fingers at Barbara. "I feel like I'm always sick. And when I'm not nauseous, Jason is either trying to get me to rest, or get me to eat."

"That's good though." Stephanie said. "He's taking care of you."

"He needs to take care of himself." Cass said, laying down again. "He skips meals sometimes worrying about me, and you should see him now. We finished that book on pregnancy Barbara gave me last night and he now has a hundred other things to worry about thanks to it."

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Stephanie asked.

"Jason, you need to calm down." Dick said, sitting down next to him on the couch in another one of the manor's many dens.

"How am I supposed to calm down?" Jason said, running his hands through his hair. "Did we read the same book, or did Barbie give me the 'evil edition' to punish me?"

"We read the same book." Dick sighed. "It's not as bad as it seems."

"Really? Cause it seems pretty bad." Jason said. "I could have gone my whole life without knowing what happens to a woman's body at delivery."

"Didn't you go through that 'emergency childbirth' training with Bruce?" Tim asked. "That pretty much told me more than I wanted to know."

"No, he said he wasn't going to do that until I turned sixteen and well..." Jason trailed off.

"Right." Dick said. "But you do need to chill. What do you normally do? We all have our stress relievers. For example, I like to do some acrobatics or exercise when I'm stressed."

"When I do that stuff it only makes me more anxious. It just gets my body all jittery and I can't calm down." Jason sighed. "But, normally, I'd smoke until I felt better." He rubbed his face.

"I think Alfred would kill you if you smoked in the manor." Tim said, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

"I've been going outside to smoke the past week anyway. It upsets Cass' stomach." Jason said. "The only other thing that usually works is a couple of drinks."

"You shouldn't be getting drunk though, Jason." Dick said, frowning at him.

"Who said anything about getting drunk?" Jason scoffed. "You think that 'having a drink' means 'getting drunk', Dick. There's a difference."

"Either way, you need a stress reliever that isn't a vice, Jason." Dick said. Jason threw him a look. "Fine, I won't lecture you. If it'll help, maybe you should have a drink then."

"No, I'll get through it." Jason said, shaking his head. "You're right, I should deal with it on my own."

"I dunno, Jason." Tim frowned at him. "I'm afraid you're going to have a panic attack if you don't do _something _to calm yourself down."

"Right, okay. Something..." He said, getting up from the couch. "I'll be back." It was so strange for Tim and Dick to have talked him into drinking, considering their thoughts on the matter. Dick was never a drinker and Tim gagged on anything that had even a trace of alcohol in it. Jason figured that was always something he'd have to deal with. Sure, he had his vices, but they were under control to a degree. When he came to the kitchen, Alfred was still cleaning up from lunch.

"Master Jason." He said, putting some newly cleaned dishes away. "Finally looking for some food?"

"No, Alfs." Jason said, starting to look through the cabinets. "I wanted something to drink."

"You're surely not going to find it in there." Alfred said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No..." He sighed. "I was- You know what, nevermind." He closed the cabinet, running his hand through his hair. "I was just hoping to get something to calm myself down and... I shouldn't... I should just deal with it. All the manor ever has is champagne or wine anyway. I prefer whiskey, something hard."

Alfred disappeared into the back for a moment before striding back in with a half empty bottle of whiskey. "This has been sitting unopened for quite some time." He said, setting it in front of Jason. "If it will help you, I say take the rest of the bottle."

"Am I that much of a mess?" Jason asked, reaching into the cabinet for a glass.

"I must say you are." Alfred said. "The whole house is anxious when you are, Master Jason."

"I'm sorry, Alfs." He poured the whiskey into his glass until it was about three-quarters of the way full. He took a sip of it, it burned on the way down, but it was soothing in its own way. "I'll try to work on that." He replaced the lid on the whiskey and turned to Alfred, taking another sip.

"It's perfectly fine for you to be anxious, Master Jason." Alfred said, patting him on the shoulder and picking up the bottle. "You have a little one on the way, and Miss Cassandra is still very ill. You have every right to worry."

"I suppose I do." Jason mumbled with the glass next to his lips. "Thanks, Alfs." He said as he turned to head back to Dick and Tim. He was right though. Jason was hoping that the morning sickness thing wouldn't last too long and that she'd be perfectly fine after a couple of days, once they settled into the manor. But, it wasn't getting much better. Sure, she could eat and keep some things down, which was better than the first couple of days, but that was the only improvement. She still had bouts where she was just weak and miserable for a few hours. He took another sip as he re-entered the den, wondering how Cass was feeling right now.

"What?" Tim asked, eyeing his glass. "What is that?"

"Alfred found some whiskey." Jason said, heading over to sit on the couch and setting his glass on the coffee table.

"Don't you drink whiskey from a shot glass?" Tim looked really confused.

"That's if you want to get drunk. I'm taking the time to savor it." Jason said, pulling the glass up for another sip. "One day I'll get you two to actually drink something more than that piss water that they have at the Wayne Galas."

"That's really alright, Jason." Dick sighed. He eyed Jason's glass for a moment, "Isn't whiskey really hard? I thought you weren't going to get drunk?"

"This amount isn't going to do anything to me." Jason took another sip. "That's the beauty of actually drinking, I know my limits."

"Whatever you say." Dick said shrugging. "At least you're not so tense anymore." Tim nodded and the both of them seemed to relax.

"I guess what Alfred said was true." Jason said, smirking. "I don't know why I'd affect you guys so much." He took another sip and noticed he had almost finished his drink. His head suddenly started feeling swimmy. He blinked it away, it didn't make any sense, he could drink more than this and still be within the realm of sobriety. Then it hit him. "I haven't eaten anything today." he muttered.

"What was that Jason?" Tim asked, looking at him sideways.

"I haven't eaten anything today." The sentence started to slur itself together at the end. "I should have taken a lot less."

"Oh, Jason." Dick said in a voice that he probably used when he was scolding his daughter.

"Don't you 'Oh, Jason.' me." Jason scoffed. He could almost feel his brain shut off, like a switch was flipped. "You're the one who told me to drink in the first place."

"You said you wouldn't get drunk." Tim said, starting to fidget. "What was in that book to get you like this in the first place?"

"Oh, let me tell you, Timmy." Jason said. His voice rising in volume as he spoke. "By the way." he added as an aforethought, "Zero out of ten on that one, would not recommend... Did you know that when a baby is born, the woman's pelvis just splits itself in half?"

"Well... I would assume so." Tim said, although he couldn't hide a cringe. "I mean, the baby is pretty big by that point."

"You know what I did last night?" Jason asked. "I found a box with my birth certificate in it." He paused, like he was trying to build dramatic tension. "I was almost nine pounds when I was born." He looked at Tim and Dick wide eyed, letting that sink in. "Have you seen how tiny Cass is? She can't have a nine pound baby!"

"It'll be fine Jason." Dick said, quietly. "Women have been having babies for centuries. Cass is no different."

"Yes, she is." Jason said, his voice dropping in volume instantly. "I don't want her to be hurt."

"They have all kinds of pain relievers for that." Tim reminded him.

"Oh yeah." Jason said, turning to Tim. "And one of those is a needle that goes right into the back." He made a face, "And they only give it to them at a certain point, so they still have to deal with the labor pain until then."

"Jason, you are barely coherent anymore." Dick sighed. "This is what I was afraid of when you started talking about drinking. You need a new stress reliever."

"I have another one." Jason said, trying to make sense, but he just ended up talking slower and louder. "But, there's no way. Cass has been too sick for that." He pouted dramatically. With them moving around from place to place and then Cass being sick, it had been too long for him, a good five or six weeks at least. He started to wonder when she was going to start feeling better so they could both relieve a little stress, then a thought hit him. "But, then there's also the baby." he muttered.

"What about it?" Dick asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"The baby." Jason said, louder. "I can't do that with the baby in there."

"Sure you can." Dick said.

"No." Jason shook his head slowly. "I can't. The baby lives in there. I'd be like, knocking on it's front door with my... No. I can't."

"Well." Dick started, but he's cut off when the door opened and Damian walked in with a paper bag in his hands.

"Todd." He said, turning to Jason. "Cain asked me to bring this to you." He set the bag in front of Jason and he squinted at it, trying to figure out what it was.

"Leo's chili?" Jason said, tearing into the bag. "Damian, I could kiss you."

"If you don't want to eat that chili through a straw, I suggest you refrain from that." Damian scowled, taking a step back. "What's wrong with you anyway? That barely hidden Bowery accent of yours isn't very hidden right now."

"We might have accidentally gotten him drunk." Tim said, frowning at Damian.

"Well, that's just great isn't it, Todd?" Damian scoffed. "Cain is laying sick in the other room and she called me to get you food on my way home from school, and you're sitting in here drunk."

Jason paused before opening his cup of chili, his expression falling. "I know, right?" He said quietly, staring at the table. "What am I even doing?" He said, looking up at them in distress. "I should be taking care of her, not sitting in here."

"You need to take care of yourself, Jason." Cass said, leaning on the doorway.

"Cass!" He jumped at the sight of her. Then he switched to looking ashamed. "I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. These guys talked me into drinking and- I'm a drunken idiot."

"You guys talked him into drinking?" Stephanie repeated, raising an eyebrow at Tim as she walked over to him.

"Only 'cause we thought he was going to tear his hair out if he didn't." Dick said in response to Barbara crossing her arms and glaring at him. Cass made her way over to Jason while they were talking. Before she could do or say anything to him, he grabbed her and sat her on his lap, squeezing her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her.

"It's okay." She said smiling at him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"No it's not." He said. "You're sick. I should be taking care of you."

"I'm feeling much better now." She said, leaning in his arms to grab the discarded cup of chili and a plastic spoon out of the bag. "Now I need to take care of you. You need to eat." She opened the chili and dipped the spoon in, holding it next to his mouth.

"You don't need to feed me." He said, pouting. "I'm not a baby."

"Call it practice." She grinned at him. He studied the spoon in front of him before wrapping his mouth around it. Leo's may not be in the greatest of neighborhoods, but he had the best chili. He'd been there for decades too. Jason used to go there whenever he scrounged up enough money as a kid and splurged on a chili cheese dog. Something about it was warm and comforting, and Leo knew him so well, he even mixed some hot sauce in with his order when he went in.

"Mmm." Jason smiled. "That's perfect. But, it's missing something." He reached over into the bag. Since Damian was the one to get it for him, Leo didn't automatically include the sauce. Luckily, he always included little packets of various sauces. Jason ripped into a couple of them and squeezed them into the cup before taking it out of Cass' hands and stirring it, keeping his arms wrapped around her so she had to stay on his lap. He scooped a big spoonful into his mouth, everyone else was talking to each other. Damian was off on a tirade about someone at school, but Jason wasn't listening to them. There was something about the heaven of this moment that he wanted to savor; Cass was sitting on his lap, running her fingers over his scalp, and the chili was starting to sober him up. He was in his own little world.

He finished his chili and sat back, squeezing Cass again. The conversation moved to something else, but he still wasn't paying attention. Dick was bouncing Sarah on his lap while he talked and Barbara was leaning on him, looking worn out, but content. Jason tried to picture Cass and himself like that; a little boy or girl sitting on his lap, Cass having that motherly glow about her, the two of them just being normal and happy. Before last week, he would have never pictured it. The promise of an ideal family was for other people, normal people who lived semi-normal lives, not a kid from crime alley who died and was brought back to life. Hell, just a couple of years ago, he would have never pictured this moment right now. Cass came into his life and turned it on its head, that's for sure. He tried to imagine what he'd be doing right now without her; nothing came to mind. He frowned, if it wasn't for her, he'd be dead or in jail. That he was sure of.

He was brought out of his thoughts by her hand brushing one of his cheeks, and her lips connecting with the other. He looked at her and she smiled at him. The look in her eyes telling him she knew what he was thinking about and that she wanted to remind him that this moment was his reality, not the thoughts in his head. He felt his throat tighten and he brought his hands up to cup her cheeks, kissing her all over the face until he was satisfied. When he finally pulled away, she grinned at him before turning back to the conversation in the room. It was then that he determined that he could do anything with her there for him.

"Cassandra Cain is her name. We have an appointment with Dr. Hudson." Jason said as clearly as he could. The aging receptionist was hard at hearing and that was the third time he repeated himself.

"Oh." She said, clicking on the computer. "I don't see a 'Cassandra Cain' though." she adjusted her glasses and squinted at the screen. "Only a Cassandra Wayne."

"That's her." Jason said, he didn't realize Barbara used that name when she made the appointment. The receptionist eyed him suspiciously. "That's her adoptive name, okay? Cassandra Wayne."

"Alright." She said, still eyeing him. She reached under her desk and handed him a clipboard. "She needs to fill this out, bring it back to me when she's done." Jason took a pen from the cup next to the sign in sheet and walked over to Cass.

"I didn't know Barbie used 'Wayne' when she made the appointment. Made my life more difficult." Cass smiled half heartedly at him as he sat down next to her.

"Well, technically." She said, leaning over to get a better look at the clipboard he set between them. "Cassandra Cain doesn't exist. That's what Barbara said. I have the papers from when Bruce adopted me, and that's all." Jason clicked the pen while she talked and started filling out all of her information, pausing on her last name and writing 'Wayne'. The rest of it was cake, birthday, phone number, emergency contact, he opted to add Wayne manor for the address. He didn't want the address of his safe house floating around in anyone's filing cabinet. He breezed through the first page and turned to the second, staring at it blankly. "What's this one for?" She asked, trying to scan the paper without reading aloud.

"It's asking about family history and lifestyle." He answered, biting at his lip. "They don't have an option for 'history unknown' either."

"What do they mean, 'family history'?" She looked at him thoroughly confused.

"Uh, like, history of disease, cancer, that kind of thing." He said. She still looked confused. "They just want to know if you're related to anyone who has suffered from those things, 'cause that puts you at risk of getting it."

"But..." She said, frowning. "I don't know anything about that."

"I know, which is why I wish there was an 'unknown' option." He said, starting to mark all the 'no's in that section. He moved onto the section with the lifestyle questions. "These will be easier." He looked them over, she didn't have any piercings, she didn't drink, he sucked some air through his teeth when he saw there was an option for secondhand smoke. He checked 'yes' on that one, feeling guilty. "Okay." His eyes flitted to the next part. "'How long have you been sexually active?'... Why do they need to know that?"

"I'm not sure." she answered him. Jason marked 'a year or more'. He wasn't really sure how to gauge it, considering how their first meeting went over six years ago, but she wasn't really 'active' until they got together. The next question, 'how many sexual partners?' he wrote 'one' feeling rather proud of himself for some reason. Then there were some questions about STDs that he marked 'no' on.

"They really grill you here on this stuff, don't they?" He said, starting to feel uncomfortable with the questions they were asking.

"I guess there's a reason for it." she responded.

"I guess..." he said, feeling guilty again as he marked 'none' next to the question about birth control. "Wait." He looked the last one over. "It's asking if you've been pregnant before."

"I haven't." She answered.

"I know, I know." he said. "But, you're pregnant _now. _How do I mark this?"

"They know I'm here because I'm pregnant." She said, shrugging. "Just mark it, 'zero'." He did and turned the page, there were a couple of places to sign it and he handed it to her so she could. He stood up with the clipboard, taking it over to the receptionist as the side door to the office opened and a woman who looked like she was ready to pop came walking out with her husband in tow.

"Hopefully the next time we see him it'll be when you're delivering baby Annie." The husband said, smiling to his wife.

"God, I hope so." She said, rubbing her back. "I'm done with the swollen ankles and the back aches. I just want this little baby girl out of me." The husband smiled and they walked out of the office. Jason went to sit down next to Cass, trying to picture her like that woman. Then a thought hit him.

"That couple had a name picked out already." He said. Cass raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, of course. She was getting really close to delivery." She said.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I dunno, that's just a major thing, I think. We're in charge of naming a person. It'll have that name it's whole life." He started to feel jittery just thinking about it.

"Then we better make sure we like the name." Cass said. Her words calmed him, she was good at that. "We have a long time to think about it, Jay." He chuckled, she was too good.

"Cassandra Wayne?" A nurse called into the waiting room, opening the door to the back. Jason took a deep breath and got up. Cass wasn't far behind. As they reached the nurse, she smiled at them, scanning the chart really quickly. "Aaaaah," She said, smiling wider. "In here for a new pregnancy now, are you?"

"Yep, we are." Jason answered. The nurse directed Cass to an area where she weighed and measured her. She quickly took Cass' blood pressure, then reached into a cabinet and pulled out a little cup.

"We need to do our own pregnancy test." She explained, handing Cass the cup. "It's just like how you'd take a normal test. We'll send it to be tested so we'll have the results in during your appointment." Cass nodded and the nurse led her to the bathroom and turned to show Jason to the examination room. He walked in with his hands in his pockets, starting to feel jittery again.

The nurse left him and he took a minute to scan the room. It was actually pretty small. An examination table took up most of the room, then there was a sink and some cabinets, along with a couple of chairs. He sat down in the chair without wheels and looked at some of the pamphlets on the cabinet next to him, while he waited. He didn't realize he was staring at one about puberty until the door opened again and the nurse brought Cass in. He brought himself out of a daze and realized he was staring at a picture of breasts the whole time. He felt his face go red and quickly put the pamphlet back, taking note that it was called "Your Road to Womanhood". The nurse handed Cass a couple of things and he tried his hardest to avoid eye contact.

"Put this on after you take off all your clothes, including your bra and underwear." She said, turning to walk out. "Oh," she added. "The open part goes on the front. Dr. Hudson will be here once you're settled." She closed the door quietly behind her and Cass turned to Jason, pulling her shirt over her head.

"What are you all embarrassed about?" She asked. He took her shirt from her and started folding it.

"Uh, well." He cleared his throat. "I'm just not used to this kind of stuff."

"Neither am I." She said, starting to unbutton her pants. "I've never been to a doctor."

"Never?" He asked. He knew she was a good fighter, the best fighter, but even she took a hit every so often.

"Well, never for something like this." She said, kicking off her shoes and sliding her pants off. She handed him her pants and he folded them, putting them on his lap with her shirt. He blatantly looked her up and down. Dammit, it really had been too long. Something in the back of his head started whining when she pulled her bra off and handed it to him. She paused, squinting at him. Way to go, Jason, you're an open book right now. "Jason..." she said, her voice low.

"No, I'm good." He said, clearing his throat and putting her bra on the pile of clothes in his lap.

"I know it's been a while, believe me I know." She slipped her underwear off and he started tapping his foot, trying to occupy his mind on something else as he took them from her. "How about we wait until tonight though?"

"Right, yeah." He said, moving the arrangement of her clothes around in his lap so her shirt was hiding her bra and underwear. He still wasn't sure about doing all of that with the baby in the picture. He may have been drunk when he said it, but he was starting to really think about it. Half of his brain said that it would be fine, it's not like the kid would remember it when it was born. But the other half still was firmly against the idea. He'd have to wait until the moment came to figure out what side was going to ultimately win. She had pulled the hospital gown on while he was lost in thought and he focused on her again. "I wonder how long this quack is going to make us wait."

"Not too long." a voice said from the other side of the door. Jason slammed his mouth shut and Cass shook her head at him, grinning. "Is it alright for the quack to come in?"

"Yes." Cass said, trying to stifle some laughter. The door swung open and in walked Dr. Hudson. This guy looked the part of a doctor; thin rimmed glasses, short, dark brown hair, lab coat on over a button up shirt and tie. He also looked pretty cheery considering Jason's comment.

"I'm sorry." Jason muttered, he didn't want the guy who was going to be taking care of Cass during her whole pregnancy to have a personal vendetta against him.

"It's alright, I've heard worse." Dr. Hudson said, with an exasperated sigh. "Sometimes I need to do a lot of updating and patient records between patients and I've been known to leave people waiting for quite some time." He half-smiled and started flipping through the clipboard that Jason filled out earlier. "One lady came storming out of an examination room in just her gown demanding that all of my nurses drag me to come get her appointment over with."

Jason chuckled, there was something about this guy. He was really charismatic, the type who could get along with anyone. It's no wonder Dick didn't seem to mind him, they'd be two peas in a pod. He patted the examination table, signaling Cass to sit down. She complied and he brought the rolling chair around so he could sit and face the both of them.

"So, brand new pregnancy, huh?" He asked, flipping the chart again. "Barbara Gordon called me to take you in. She's been a long time patient of mine, we're getting ready to deliver another one with her too."

"She told me she was due in November." Cass said.

"Yup, yup, that's right, I remember." He said, nodding his head. "We'll find out your due date today too, once we confirm the pregnancy with our tests."

"She took a lot of tests the day we found out." Jason interjected. "They were all positive."

"A lot of women do that, there's always the chance of the false positive, or the false negative." Dr. Hudson turned to Jason. "But, we do need to confirm it for our own records." He considered Jason for a second, "Are you the father? It says on the chart she's not married."

"Yes, I'm the father, and no, we're not married." Jason's jaw clenched when he finished the sentence.

"Just making sure you weren't family or something." Dr. Hudson shrugged. "You wouldn't believe how many brothers will come in here to support their sisters when the father isn't in the picture. And I've honestly lost count of how many kids Bruce Wayne has adopted, so I couldn't be sure."

"_I wonder how this guy would feel knowing that I'm technically her adopted brother." _Jason didn't really like to think about that fact. It's not like he was even aware that Bruce had adopted her until the subject of them getting together came up. He liked to think that it didn't count since his death severed that tie of adoption. That's how he justified it at least.

"Well, we can sit here gabbing all day." Dr. Hudson said, standing up. "But, I'm sure you would like to get home and I don't need another angry patient busting down my doors." He walked next to the table where Cass was still sitting on the edge. "I need you to lay back for me, I have a few standard procedure exams to do." Cass complied, laying down on the table. Jason wondered what exactly he was going to do, the examination process was not one he was looking forward to. "Have you been to the gynecologist before?"

"No." Cass answered him.

"Alright, well first, I'm going to do a breast exam." He explained. "This is to check for any abnormalities that can be linked to breast cancer, lumps in the breast tissue, that kind of thing." He pulled the sides of her robe open while he talked, already working. Jason started to feel uncomfortable, he knew the male doctor thing wasn't going to sit right when it came to all of this stuff.

"_There's nothing abnormal about her breasts." _he thought to himself. Dr. Hudson finished up and covered her back up with her robe.

"I'm surprised you've never been to one before, though." he said, pulling out a stethoscope and pressing it to her chest. She sucked some air in when he did. "Sorry, it's cold I know." he half-smiled at her. He listened to her heart and her breathing before finishing his thought. "Your chart said you were twenty seven, I figured you'd be a pro at this by now."

"I never thought there was a need." Cass said, shrugging. Dr. Hudson paused, like he wanted to say something about that, but he bit it back. Jason watched Cass' expression and smirked to himself, "_You can't hide what you're thinking from her._"

"Alright." Dr. Hudson said, moving to the edge of the examination table. "Now I need you to scootch down until you're sitting on the edge here, and we'll do a pap smear and a pelvic exam." This was the part that Jason was least looking forward to of this whole visit. He started to feel agitated again, he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, trying to calm himself down. Dr. Hudson turned his attention to him while Cass moved as instructed. "Jason, right? You might feel better if you stood up next to her. Most men will do that, or leave, during this part." There was no way Jason was leaving her, but standing up next to her sounded much more appealing than having a front row seat to what the guy was doing. As he stood next to her, Dr. Hudson put a sheet over her legs and directed her to put her feet up in the stirrups at the end of the table.

Jason looked down at Cass, trying to keep his mind off of the examination. There was a slight flush to her cheeks, he frowned at her, wishing she didn't have to go through all of this. Not just the appointment, but the nausea and the weakness. Everything about this pregnancy seemed to be terrible for her. She looked up at him and smiled, he felt his body calm down a little bit when she did. He reminded himself that despite everything going on, she was still excited, and he was too.

"Alright." Dr. Hudson said. Jason turned his attention back to him, almost forgetting where they were. He was holding some kind of metal instrument in his hands, which now had gloves on, Jason looked it over, it looked like some kind of torture device he'd seen in a book about medieval times. "This is going to be a little pressure, but it'll be quick." He was rubbing some jelly on it as he spoke. "_No amount of lube is going to make putting that 'thing' inside of her better._" Jason turned his attention back to Cass, he really didn't want to picture what was going on down there. She wrinkled her nose and he felt himself get jittery again as Dr. Hudson explained that he was doing this to check for cervical cancer and STDs. "_That was not a 'little pressure', look at her face. She's obviously uncomfortable. I'd also like to think that I would know if she had an STD._"

Dr. Hudson set everything aside and started putting the jelly on his fingers. Jason bit his lip, this stuff was normal, normal people were used to it. Being normal was something neither he, nor Cass were used to. Dr. Hudson was explaining the pelvic exam, but Jason was tuning him out. The crazy torture device was one thing, but no one else was allowed to put their fingers in her but him. He turned his attention back to her one hundred percent, determined to watch her face. The pelvic exam didn't last that long but it felt like forever for him.

"Okay, all done with this." Dr. Hudson said. Cass took her legs out of the stirrups and Jason relaxed a little bit, feeling like he just made it through a rite of passage or something. There was a knock on the door and a nurse came in with a chart. "Just in time too, here's the results for the test." He looked the chart over. "Hrm, that's not right." he muttered.

"What? What's the matter?" Jason tensed again.

"Our tests came back negative." Dr. Hudson said, clicking a pen to his teeth.

"What? But, they were all positive." Jason felt his heart sink.

"It's possible it's a false negative, if her hormones are all out of whack." Dr. Hudson set the chart on his lap, looking at them now. "_'Out of whack' huh? That a medical term they taught you?_" Jason couldn't help but scowl at him. "We still need to confirm it, the only way to do that now is with an ultrasound." He got up and walked out for a minute. Jason caught Cass' eye, she looked worried.

"It's okay, Baby Bat." he rubbed her hand. "Everything's okay." The door swung open again and Dr. Hudson returned.

"A nurse is setting up the room." he said. "We'll head in there and wait for the technician who will do it." He motioned for them to follow and they complied, Jason took a fleeting glance at Cass' clothes as they left, hoping they weren't going to be messed with while they were gone. The room was actually just down the hall. It was set up similarly, except with a monitor and a machine where the cabinet was in the other room. The three of them sat down, waiting for the technician. "In the meantime, let's see if we can figure out your due date." Dr. Hudson said.

"I thought you wanted to wait for 'confirmation'." Jason said, trying to hide his displeasure at this whole turn of events.

"I believe that she is." Dr. Hudson shrugged. "As I've said numerous times, confirmation is for our records, and this isn't going to hurt, or cause any problems. It will just tell us what we already know." Jason was starting to think this was all craziness. "So, Cassandra, can you tell me when your last menstrual cycle was?"

"Uhm," Cass looked at the ceiling, trying to remember. "I think, May?" Dr. Hudson looked at her, surprised.

"Have you always been this irregular?"

"Yes, as long as I remember." She shrugged at him.

"I really wish you would have been to a gynecologist sooner." He sighed. "You're not supposed to be that irregular, it usually means something is wrong." Jason felt a little guilty, he knew that she didn't have it every month, but he never thought that it could be a major issue. "The problem with that is," Dr. Hudson continued. "I can't tell you what your due date is when you're irregular, because you should be four months along according to the date you just gave me."

"I don't think she's four months." Jason said, looking at Cass.

"I don't either." Dr. Hudson replied. A knock came at the door and the ultrasound technician came in. They both explained the process, the baby was too small to be seen on a normal ultrasound, so they had to use an intrauterine ultrasound. Which was basically a camera on a stick that was directed into the uterus to see the baby. "_Great, more stuff going inside of her. At least the technician is a woman._" Jason thought bitterly. They all took their places, Jason sat up next to Cass, the technician was poised and ready with the equipment, and Dr. Hudson was staring intently at the monitor. Jason turned his attention to Cass for a moment, bringing his hand up next to hers to squeeze it. He couldn't shake this sinking feeling that he had about what this ultrasound was going to tell them.

"There it is." Dr. Hudson said, bringing Jason out of his thoughts. He turned his attention back to the monitor, where a little yolk colored sac was plainly visible on the screen. "That's the baby, well, the sac it's in. You're definitely pregnant." A wave of relief flushed over Jason and he felt Cass rub his hand, something in the touch telling him she was relieved too. "Judging by the size, I'm gonna say you're six weeks along." He pulled a little calendar out of his pocket and started flipping through it. "Which would put your due date at May 16th." Dr. Hudson turned their attention to a chart of fetal development on the wall, pointing to the six week one. "That's what the baby should look like now. You know, if we could see it."

"It looks like a peanut." Jason smiled at it. Dr. Hudson chuckled.

"Most people compare it to a bean, but I guess it kinda looks like a peanut too." He said, shaking his head. Jason turned back to Cass, beaming.

"Dr. Hudson, look at this." The technician piped up, breaking the mood.

"Oh, no." Dr. Hudson said in a way that made Jason's heart sink. He turned his attention back to the monitor, the only thing he could really see were dark patches. Dr. Hudson had the technician pan around, the patches were everywhere. "Cassandra," he said, turning to her. "Have you ever miscarried?"

"What?" Cass couldn't hide the fear in her voice. "Not that I know of."

"You would know if you had." Dr Hudson said, folding his arms. "Have you ever had uterine surgery?"

"I've never had surgery of any kind." She said, looking more worried by the second.

"Okay, now for the tough questions." He took a sideways glance at Jason when he said it. "Have you ever experienced any severe trauma? Especially in the abdominal area?" Cass narrowed her eyes at him before answering.

"My father." She said. Dr. Hudson looked at Jason again. "Not him, my father." Cass repeated herself. Jason felt his jaw clench, anytime Cass was hurt on mission and sporting a broken bone or a healthy bruise, he was always the first to receive the sideways glances. Like he could ever lay a harmful hand on her.

"She was abused by her father until she was eight." Jason explained, leaning forward into his chair, daring the guy to accuse him of anything. "She ran away from him then and was on her own until she met Bruce at seventeen."

"That's a long time for you to be on your own." Dr. Hudson looked at Cass again. "Can you remember any infection you had during that time?"

"No, not really." She said. Jason didn't want to mention that Cass couldn't speak at the time, and probably wouldn't have recognized any kind of pain she felt as 'infection'.

"Is there a point to this line of questioning?" Jason asked, clenching his hands together on his lap.

"Do you see all these dark patches?" Dr. Hudson gestured to the monitor. They both nodded. "That's scarring of the uterine wall, and a hell of a lot of it too. Normally, this amount would make a woman infertile, but your baby here seems to have found the one safe spot to plant itself."

"So, what does that mean exactly?" Jason's voice was quiet.

"Well, with this amount of scarring, it's highly unlikely she'll be able to carry to full term." Dr. Hudson crossed his arms. "_If_ the baby survives, it'll more than likely be premature." The technician took the ultrasound out of Cass and started to pack it all up to be cleaned.

"_If_?" Cass asked, she sounded on the verge of tears.

"It's chances aren't great, I'm not going to sugarcoat it." Dr. Hudson said. "But, it does have a chance, if the stars align... If you do miscarry, there is always the option to come in for surgery and I can possibly remove the worst of the scarring, and you can try again."

"Well, what can you do _now_?" Jason asked, not wanting to think about that possibility.

"_Now_?" Dr. Hudson repeated. "Now all I can do is set you up for your first real ultrasound at five months and send you home."

"That's it?" Jason stood up, this guy should be able to do more than just send them on their merry way after the information he just gave them.

"That's all I _can_ do." Dr. Hudson said, holding his ground. "When she starts her third trimester, we'll bring her in to monitor her progress, and the baby's health. But until then, there's nothing we can do." Jason felt his argument slip away with his last words. Dr. Hudson directed them back to their previous room, so Cass could get dressed. Jason tried to open his mouth and say something to her, try and make this better, but no words came out.

The rest was a blur for the two of them. They set up the appointment for the five month ultrasound, and Dr. Hudson gave them his condolences. They passed a happy looking couple in the lobby, this woman looking big and pregnant, like the last one. Jason couldn't help but feel a little bitter towards them as he squeezed Cass' hand and they made their way to the parking lot. He had to fight to focus on the road on the way back to the manor, taking note that Cass was hugging him tighter than usual for the whole trip. They pulled into the circle drive, still not sure what to say to each other. Jason was beginning to hope that everyone else had better things to do than wait around for the two of them to get home from their appointment.

Of course they didn't. Everyone was waiting eagerly in the entrance. They all stopped their conversations and turned to ask their questions about the appointment. Jason turned to look at Cass, trying to find the words. She sniffled a couple of times, trying to maintain her composure, but the walls came tumbling down and tears started to finally fall. Everyone switched gears in an instant, Barbara and Stephanie practically knocking Jason out of the way to comfort her. Seeing her finally cry reminded Jason that he'd been holding back his own tears the whole time. He bit them back the best he could and tried his hardest to explain the situation to the family.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I realize that I talk a lot about random story ideas that I have that I consider canon in my own universe. I will get on writing other stories eventually, I'm stuck on this one for now. _

"How's Cass doing?" Dick asked, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder.

"I'm not really sure since Barbie and Blondie have been keeping me away from her since yesterday." Jason scowled. He rubbed his eyes, yawning. After Barbara and Stephanie finally left last night, he and Cass had tried to get a good night's sleep, but she seemed to feel worse now than she had been to this point. She was either throwing up in the bathroom or tossing and turning in bed, not that Jason was any better. His night consisted of laying awake, thinking about everything and nothing, and being right behind her to the bathroom, rubbing her back and trying to remain strong for her.

"Babs and Steph just want to help her." Dick said quietly. "Babs has always thought of herself like Cass' mother, and Steph is her best friend."

"Yeah, I know." Jason sighed. "But, comforting her is my job now."

"Jason. This isn't just about Cass, it's about the both of you. You're both grieving, and you're both upset." Dick said, squeezing Jason's shoulder. "You two have every right to be, too. You don't have to be a big macho man, who doesn't show emotion, and is strong for everyone else's sake."

"But, I should be there for her." Jason stood up. "If this had happened to Barbie, you would be right beside her. That's where I need to be." Dick had no argument and raised his hands, showing that he was conceding. "We need to be there for each other." Jason whispered as he moved as fast as his legs would carry him upstairs. He wasn't sure where exactly they were, but the sound of Cass throwing up, yet again, directed him to one of the bathrooms. Stephanie and Barbara were standing outside, looking like they'd been crying the whole time and he moved to push his way past them.

"We're doing everything we can for her." Stephanie caught his arm. "She blames herself for this, and we can't convince her otherwise." Jason sucked some air through his teeth. Always a guilt game with the bats. Even though he couldn't discount himself from that, he blamed himself too. If he'd worn a damn condom, taken some kind of measure to prevent this, they wouldn't be going through this right now.

"The feeling's mutual." He said, gritting his teeth. "Listen, ladies, this is kind of my job."

"Jason, we've been trying, nothing will get through to her at the moment. She needs her time to grieve." Barbara said, a tear rolling down her face.

"Look, I understand that." He said, turning to Barbara now. "And I know you both have known her far longer than I have, and you've been through so much more and blah, blah, blah." Barbara glared at him but he pushed onward. "But, I'm the other half of this baby equation, and if we can't get through this together, then we're not cut out to be a couple." Barbara's expression softened at his words, and Stephanie let go of his arm. "Let me take care of her, okay?" Was all he said before opening the bathroom door to Cass sitting against the cabinet with her knees to her chest, dried tears on her face. He closed and locked the door behind him, determined to keep this between the two of them, and sat down across from her, leaning on the bathtub. She lifted her eyes to him and he could see fresh tears forming, he didn't say anything, he just opened his arms to her and she was in them in an instant.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She managed between sobs. She dug her face into his chest as much as she could and began to hiccup.

"Shhh, Baby Bat." He ran his fingers through her hair, talking low and quiet. "It's not your fault."

"But-" She was cut off by a painful sounding hiccup.

"No, I won't let you blame yourself." He said, feeling his own tears falling. "It's not your fault, and you know what? It's not mine either. It's David Cain's."

"Jason..." She sobbed, shrinking a little at the accusation.

"I know, I know, you don't like to dwell on your past." He cupped her face so she'd look at him. "But, it's true." She looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Cass, he did this to you. All the training he put you through, molding you into his perfect assassin, it wouldn't surprise me if he did take a few cheap shots there just to make it impossible for you to have kids. Just so you wouldn't be distracted from the work he wanted you to do. The work he thought you were born to do." She looked back up at him, her face contorting again and more tears flowing out of her eyes. He hugged her close, he hated to say it, but it was the truth. And in order for them to get past the guilt stage, he needed the blame placed on the right person. She started to wiggle in his grasp, like she was trying to get away from him. He squeezed her tighter, he didn't need her shutting down on him, or running away from him. And at the same time, he didn't want to let her go. She did manage to push herself up over his shoulder and throw up into the bathtub behind him. Oh, she was feeling nauseous again, and trying to get to the toilet, of course. He felt guilty as her body relaxed in his arms and she started breathing heavily between sobs.

"Oh, no." She said, her hiccups returning. "I threw up on you."

"It's okay." He said, moving her off of his shoulder so he could see her. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head at him.

"No, it's on your shirt. I'm so sorry." She said. "I tried not to."

"It's okay." Jason repeated himself, pulling his shirt off, making sure the back of it didn't touch his bare skin. He tossed it in a crumple to the side, not even bothering to check the damage. "See, all better." He leaned over to turn on the faucet, rinsing the bathtub out. Cass came back in to hug him and he ran his fingers through her hair again, humming a tune that he didn't really recognize. She switched between sobbing and hiccupping, and throwing up in the toilet for what felt like an eternity before she finally said something else.

"What are we going to do?" She asked, her voice was quiet and raspy and he was starting to wish he could get up to get her a drink of water.

"Well," he said, he was ready for this question, he was already considering it. "Dr. Hudson said that the scarring could be removed, right?"

"Yes." she answered.

"Would you want to have that done?" He asked. "Try again, later?" The concept of actually trying to get pregnant wasn't an idea he would have thought up before, but knowing how happy this pregnancy made him, he'd like to see if it was a possibility. Yesterday, he started to think that this whole 'normal family' life was beyond their grasp. Something in the cosmos was firmly against it for the two of them, they weren't allowed that kind of happiness. But, today, he was starting to think that they could fight it tooth and nail. If whatever higher power out there decided that Cass and him weren't going to have a child, he was going to do whatever it took to punch that higher power where it hurt and do everything in his own power to prove it wrong. That is, if Cass was on board.

"I don't know." She said, casting her eyes down again. "I don't know if I want to go through with that." She bit her lip, new tears forming, but she tried to speak through them. "If I lose this baby, I don't know if I could just, fix myself and replace it." Her words hit Jason like a train. She was right, even if she did get that surgery, and they managed to get pregnant again, that second pregnancy would be nothing compared to the thrill this first one had given them. He kissed her nose, resting his forehead on hers and trying to imagine getting past this pregnancy thing, past that dream of a perfect family, if the baby didn't make it. Wait a minute.

"_'If.'_" Jason whispered.

"What'd you say?" Cass pulled back, looking into his eyes.

"_If_, Cass, there's a big _if_ in that sentence." He cupped her face in his hands again. "_If_ the baby doesn't make it."

"Yeah." She said, he could make out her relaxing a little, even cheering up, but it was slight at best.

"Baby Bat." He said, starting to smile. "We haven't lost the baby yet, and we're giving up on it." Cass nodded at him, a few more tears falling. "Hell, everyone's given up on it. Dr. Hudson, Dick, Barbara, Stephanie, all of them. But you know what?" He placed a hand on her stomach. "It's still in there, going strong." She wiped her face, sniffling and he kissed her cheeks, trying to take all of her tears away. "Little Peanut is still ours."

"Peanut?" she asked him, laughing on the word.

"Yeah, Peanut." He said, he couldn't hide a grin now. "I stand by my previous observation that that picture in the ultrasound room looked like a peanut." She smiled at him, for the first time today, and hugged him again. "What did the doc say?" Jason continued his previous thought. "He said that Peanut had found the one safe spot to build itself a home, and that's how you got pregnant in the first place." Cass nodded against his chest, still sniffling every so often. "This kid knows what it's doing, Baby Bat." He put his fingers under her chin, directing her face so she was looking at him. "It's probably in there right now thinking, 'Hey, numbskulls, I'm still in here. Don't count me out yet.'" She laughed again, a single tear falling, he kissed her again, this one on the lips. He held it for as long as was possible, willing himself not to breathe. They both pulled away, slightly gasping for breath and he hugged her close. "Can we stay positive about this?" He was asking himself more than her, but she answered him anyway.

"We can. As long as the baby is still alive, it'll be okay." She squeezed him tighter. They stayed like that for a while, and Jason was feeling pretty happy that Cass hadn't thrown up in that time. He put his arm under her legs, standing up and taking her with him, ignoring his shirt on the floor.

"Let's get you something to eat." he said, quietly. "You need to keep your strength up, so little Peanut can grow properly." She nodded, smiling at him still, and he carried her down into the kitchen, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He decided not to think about what would happen if she really did lose the baby, but instead take it a day at a time, focusing on the fact that it was still in there, going strong. When he walked into the kitchen, the whole family was in there, talking. Some, like Barbara and Stephanie, looked like they'd been crying, while others, like Bruce and Tim, were standing stoically with their arms folded. They all looked up when Jason entered, all of them searching for something to say to the two of them. It took Jason by surprise when Damian was the first one to speak.

"Look, I know everyone is talking about how terrible this whole thing is, and I get that." he said, everyone's attention was on him, the room was totally silent. "But, you haven't lost it yet, right? So, why dwell on the fact that you _could_ and focus more on the fact that it's still holding on." Jason opened his mouth to tell him that's what they already decided, but Damian cut him off, "That kid in there has your genes in it, the both of you. I don't think it's going to go that easily, and it sure isn't going to go without a fight." The whole room was visibly taken aback by his comments. "It's going to be fine."

"Thank you, Damian." Cass said, wiggling herself out of Jason's arms to walk over and pull him into a hug. "Thank you so much."

"I'm only speaking the truth." Damian replied, squeezing her slightly. Jason walked over, putting a hand on Damian's head and scruffed his hair.

"We know you are, Kid." he grinned. "And we appreciate it. We kinda came to those conclusions ourselves, but it's nice to hear you say it too." Damian's cheeks flushed ever so slightly and he mumbled something under his breath about wanting to cheer Cass up. Jason rolled his eyes and headed for the fridge, he really needed to find Cass something to eat, she was looking so much better, but she was visibly weak from not eating and throwing up.

"Where's your shirt anyway, Todd?" Damian asked, regaining his usual attitude towards Jason.

"There was an incident while we were talking." He answered, searching the fridge for something quick. He found some leftovers from dinner the night before and moved to put the container in the microwave and heat it up for her. "No big deal." Cass flushed and looked at her feet.

"I threw up on him." She said quietly.

"Barely." Jason said, turning to her. "Nothing a quick run in the wash won't clean out, and I told you not to worry about it." Everyone in the room was less tense now, like a shadow hanging overhead had been dispelled. The microwave beeped and Jason got the food and a fork out, handing it to Cass. She ate, some color returning to her face. Selina was the one to break the silence this time.

"You told us the bad news from your appointment." She said calmly. "But, you must have gotten some good news too?"

"That's right." Barbara said, looking excited now. "They should have given you a due date."

"Right, they did." Jason contorted his face, trying to remember.

"May 16th." Cass said, taking another bite of food.

"A spring baby, huh?" Stephanie grinned at the two of them. "You've got a looooooooong time to wait for it to be born." Everyone nodded in agreement while Dick seemed to be preoccupied with something on the ceiling. He suddenly looked down, sporting a mischievous grin that was directed at Jason.

"So, Jason." He said, nonchalantly.

"What?" Jason never liked it when Dick got this look on his face, it usually meant something bad.

"Did you enjoy your birthday present?" Dick sang. "Or rather, are you enjoying what your birthday present has wrought?"

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked.

"If you count back nine months from May 16th." Tim interjected. "You get August 16th."

"What? No you-" Jason started, before counting it in his head as well. "That is exactly nine months, you're right." he sighed. "But, they're never spot on like that. It could have come from another time, around my birthday." He looked to Cass, trying to think of another incident that could possibly have lead to her becoming pregnant. The look she gave him reminded him of how isolated that time actually was. They had traveled to Gotham, because Dick and everyone wanted Jason to celebrate his birthday with them, and they ended up being way busier than usual. And they really barely saw each other during that time. Then, on his birthday, they finally had some alone time, and... "I'm never looking at lingerie the same way again." he said with an exasperated sigh. Bruce had had enough of the conversation by that point and turned to leave, with Damian and Alfred not far behind.

"Lingerie?" Tim asked, turning to Stephanie. The look on his face telling Jason that he was used to this kind of talk.

"That's right, I told her to surprise Jason with some lingerie." Stephanie waggled her eyebrows. "Nice to know you enjoyed it." She sang, looking pointedly at Jason. He felt his cheeks flush. It wasn't really the lingerie that got him going, although, it didn't hurt. It was more the fact that they hadn't in so long and she was there, ready for him. The lingerie itself didn't last, but the night went on and on. "That was really nice lingerie too." Stephanie continued. "It should last you awhile."

"Uh. No, it didn't." Jason said, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone. Cass was blushing ever so slightly and he was trying not to say anymore to embarrass her.

"What? What do you mean?" Stephanie asked him, her eyes widening. Jason bit his lip, he didn't really feel like telling them that he'd torn the lingerie off of Cass the second he saw it on her, and now it was totally destroyed.

"Nope, nothing." He motioned for Cass to follow him, ready to leave this conversation behind.

"Seriously!" Stephanie yelled, sounding desperate for gossip. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jason winked at Cass and she grinned at him as the two of them left Stephanie waving her arms around in the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ahhhhhhh, it's good to be home." Jason sighed, falling ceremoniously onto the couch.

"You've been saying that for the past week, Jason." Cass smiled at him. He moved to lay on his back and put his head on her lap.

"I know, and it's true every time." He said, closing his eyes and just enjoying them being alone. "Back at the manor, everyone visited us all the time, and we couldn't hide out 'cause Alfs knew we were there." He smiled to himself again as he felt her fingers start to run through his hair. "At least here we can pretend we're out. Just check the peephole and if we don't feel like visitors, ignore the knocks."

"Mmm." She said. "I was getting pretty tired of the constant pep-talks."

"I know, those were the worst." Jason groaned. "Everyone needed to put their two cents in about how they thought we should go about this whole 'staying positive' thing. I was so glad when the security system here was finally updated." He opened his eyes and turned his head to take in his safe house for a moment. He'd had this one since before he met Cass and it was the one that felt most like home to him. Of course, she still had an apartment here in Gotham that Bruce insisted on holding on to should she not want to stay there, but the two of them usually forgot about it. Cass was content to go wherever Jason felt comfortable, and he was thankful for that. She put up with not having much, the only thing he could really afford to do for her was keep her fed. Although, he wasn't completely hurting for money, he had a special account that he put whatever extra cash he made in. It was his emergency account, he'd only dipped into it once or twice to buy dinner for them. He was starting to think about using some of that money to get her something nice, although, he wasn't quite sure _what, _he figured inspiration would come when the time came. He turned his head to look at her and she smiled down at him, leaning over to kiss him.

He wasn't sure if she meant to hold the kiss as long as she did, but they soon found themselves lip locked. He leaned up on his elbows, so she didn't have to bend over so far and time became a foreign concept. They pulled away, taking a moment to stare at eachother before Jason pushed himself up into a sitting position and turned to continue where they left off. They were almost desperate about it, their hands couldn't find a satisfying place to rest on the other. He nibbled at her lower lip, his hands moving over her back. She decided to push it along and started pulling up his shirt. He brought himself out of the kiss to help her, pausing for a minute when he looked at her face.

"Baby Bat." He said, his breathing heavy. "You're starting to look pale." He readjusted his shirt and put a hand on her cheek.

"I'm okay." She replied weakly, there was a little flush on her cheeks, but just barely, and the rest of her face was ghostly pale. He shook his head, kissing her nose.

"No, you're not." He stood up and directed her to lay down on the couch, she complied, pulling her legs close to herself and shivering a little bit. He went to their bedroom and yanked the comforter off of the bed, draping it over her when he returned.

"I'm sorry." She said, closing her eyes.

"It's fine." He brushed his hand over her cheek and something whined at the back of his head for denying himself, but he pushed it away. "Just rest. Don't push yourself."

He watched her for a second before quietly making his way outside. The musty air of the city was a lot to take, but he needed a cigarette after that teasing. He walked around the building, sucking the smoke in to calm his body down. He came to the old Firebird that had been at the other place. Since they were staying in Gotham, he had it towed up so he could work on it more. It had become his project to get it done before the baby was born, and he'd already found quite a few parts to replace it. That was the interesting thing about Crime Alley, there always seemed to be run down cars sitting around. They were usually already picked over, but Jason had managed to strike gold a few times. He stomped the butt of the cigarette beneath his boot, staying outside a little longer to air himself out before going back inside. Some kids went running past him, down through the alleys, and he found himself wondering if their parents were in the picture. Anytime he saw kids in Crime Alley he always thought back to himself, and how he had to make it on his own for the most part. He made a silent promise, watching those kids, that his child would never have to go through what he did. He would be there for it, every step of the way, like a real father should.

He sighed when he finally got back into the safehouse, all the added security made it a pain to get in even for him, the guy who (mostly) installed it. Cass was still laying on the couch, but her eyes opened as he walked over to her. Some color had returned to her face.

"I think laying down is the best option for you when you start feeling sick like that." He said, kneeling next to her, trying not to suffocate her with the cigarette smoke.

"Yeah, but now I'm hungry." She frowned at him. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to think of what they had in the apartment.

"We were going to go grocery shopping today." He remembered. "We don't have anything for dinner." He didn't want to make her wait for him to take the motorcycle all the way to the store and back, then cook the food, no matter how simple the meal was he decided to get. "How about we go out?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "To a restaurant? It'll be nice, we haven't done that in a while."

"Are you sure?" She asked, he could see her worrying about what money they had.

"'Course I am." He stood up, holding a hand out to help her up. "The time we spent at the manor, eating what Alfred made for us, gave me more of a chance to build up some funds." He grinned at her. "We can splurge on dinner and it won't even matter."

Although, that didn't mean they were going anywhere overly fancy. Neither of them liked the stuffy atmosphere of the nicer restaurants Gotham had to offer, but there were plenty of family owned places that were perfect. It didn't take long for the two of them to be seated, although the waiting room was pretty crowded. Jason couldn't stop himself from getting in between the hostess and an angry customer, who yelled at her for his wait until he went red in the face. The poor girl couldn't have been older than seventeen and looked on the verge of tears. The guy tried to justify it, saying he and his family, a party of eight people, had been waiting for forty minutes, when she told him he'd only be waiting that long. Jason kindly directed his attention to the full dining room and the number of people still waiting in the lobby and told him to sit his ass down and shut up. The hostess muttered a small thank you to him before he rejoined Cass waiting for their table. It ended up being a little two seater, which was fine. He swore he saw the hostess cleaning it herself, like she was trying to get them in, but he figured he imagined it.

The dining room really was crowded and the waitress who helped them looked just a little overworked, but she was quick with their orders.

"I like this place." Jason said, taking a bite of his food. "Not only is the food delicious, but the staff is pretty friendly, from what I've seen." Cass nodded her head, but she was more focused on her food than the conversation. "Slow down there, you act like I never feed you."

"I'm sorry." She said after swallowing a large bite. "I was starving."

"Yeah, we definitely came at their peak time." Jason looked around again, the yeller from the waiting room was finally seated. The hostess had had to push two tables together to accommodate his whole party. Jason threw a glare at him, trying to telepathically tell him to leave the girl alone and be thankful she got him and his brood in at all with the wait. He turned his attention back to Cass, whose own attention was elsewhere. He followed her line of sight to a couple a few tables over from them who had a small baby. The couple was more focused on talking to each other than the kid, who waved his arms and legs around and whined every so often, wanting attention from his parents.

"What'cha lookin at there, Baby Bat?" Jason whispered, grinning at her. She'd never been one to really notice babies around her, she usually stayed focused on him. He was starting to wonder if this was her motherly instinct coming to the surface.

"I was just wondering if they realized their baby was hungry." Cass said, returning to her food, but keeping an eye on the couple and their child. He chuckled, shoving some more food into his mouth.

"Most people can't read their kids that well." He said when he swallowed. "They usually wait until it cries until they figure out something is wrong." Cass looked back over to the baby, who was starting to put up a fuss now. The parents looked around the dining room, like they were more concerned about what the people around them thought of their child crying than the kid himself. Jason turned his attention back to Cass, who was beginning to look a little jittery. He could see her wanting to stand up and calm him down herself. "You're going to be a great mom."

"I don't know about that." She said, totally focusing on him now. "I don't know the first thing about taking care of a baby."

"Neither do I." Jason shrugged. "But that doesn't mean you won't be great." He set his empty plate aside and leaned his head in his hands. "You have all the qualities of a great mom, patience, empathy, kindness..." He felt himself grinning at her like an idiot. "And you have your super special ability to read body language so well that you'll know what the kid wants the second it does." Cass smiled at him and he could see her eyes dancing. He cleared his throat and took her hand in his, inspecting it a second before bringing it to his lips. They were interrupted by their waitress asking them if they wanted dessert. Jason was ready to order some, knowing how much Cass loved sweet stuff, but she convinced him otherwise. They paid the bill, Cass took a fleeting glance at the baby, who was finally being fed, before they left. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her, waving goodbye to the hostess, who smiled and waved back, and they made their way out to the bike. The night was cool and it was a shock to his system, the bike only made it cooler and Cass huddled extra close to him the whole way home.

The Bat-signal shone bright in the night sky by the time they got home. He stared at it for a minute, wondering what the issue was, part of him wishing he was out there. More out of habit than out of necessity. Cass' arm had remained around him the whole time from the bike to the door and he felt his mind and body switching gears. It took an eternity to open the door, but when he finally did he locked it behind him and spun her against the wall in the same motion, kissing her deeply. She moaned softly when their lips connected and he felt chills creep over his body from the sound and her touch. He lifted her shirt over her head, pushing her sports bra up out of his way to cup her breasts, crashing his mouth back down into hers without a second thought. She pulled his own shirt off and took her bra off the rest of the way. He ran his hand down her side before picking her up and moving them to the bedroom, their clothes discarded at the entrance.

He laid her down and was instantly over her, not wanting to miss a beat. His lips trailed down until he wrapped them around one of her breasts, making circles over her nipple with his tongue. She moaned again, tangling her fingers in the hair on the back of his head. He pulled back, unbuttoning her jeans and pulling them off of her, taking in the image as he did. He was beginning to feel drunk on the her and leaned over to kiss her again, rubbing his hand over her underwear.

She moved to meet his lips, but stopped dead, turning her head to look at the window. "Jason... what's going on?" He paused, his body yelling at him yet again for not continuing, and looked towards the window. The curtains were drawn, but there was a glow coming through it. His heart sunk when he realized what it was, getting up, he opened the curtains. An inferno was raging not too far away from them. He hadn't even heard firetrucks, if there were any yet. He rushed to the closet, where his Red Hood gear was put away carefully when they got back to the apartment. He fumbled with getting his jeans off, bitterly wishing they had gotten to that point a minute ago, so he didn't have to deal with them. He sat on the bed, unlacing and pulling at his boots, they decided to cooperate with him today and he finally started getting into gear. Since being with Cass, he was able to upgrade all of his stuff so that there was a bit more kevlar in the various pieces, and most importantly, nomex, which would come in handy if he was going to be rushing into a fire. He left his gun hanging in the holster, the only important thing he needed was as many re-breathers as he could carry in his belt. He quickly stuck his domino mask on, finally grabbing his helmet before pausing and turning to Cass.

"If the fire spreads, get yourself out of here." She nodded at him, he could tell from the look on her face that she wanted to help. He shook his head at her, "Baby Bat, your job is to keep you and Peanut safe, right?" She nodded again and he was off. If he lingered too long, it would be even harder to leave her.

Sirens were finally starting to blare as he crossed through the alleys to the building that was completely engulfed in flames. It was an apartment complex, probably one of few in Crime Alley that wasn't condemned or used as a makeshift brothel. This one had actual families living in it. Jason scanned the people already huddled outside, watching their home go up in flames. Some people holding their families, others on cellphones. He wasn't sure if they were calling 911 or relatives, but a couple of police cars pulled up in front of the building for crowd control. Where was the _damn _fire truck though? That's what was important. Jason decided it was pointless to wait for them. If they were going to take their sweet time, whoever was trapped inside was going to die. He took position on a rooftop next to the building and busted through a window on the top floor. He silently thanked Tim for some of the improvements to his helmet, the lenses over his eyes that were able to adjust to see in darkness, and keep the smoke out of his eyes. The built in re-breather was his own attachment. With them, he could breath and kind of see what he was doing, the disorienting part was the heat and the blanket of smoke.

He took a moment to orient himself, he was in a bedroom, it looked like a child's room. He called for anyone to hear him, the door was open and he made his way out into the living area. The sight before him made his heart sink. A mother and her two small children, dressed only in pajamas, were huddled next to the door, he could hear them calling through it for help as he moved closer. He kneeled down next to them, unhooking a couple re-breathers from his belt. The mother looked at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"The door is stuck!" She shouted at him. He nodded, handing her the masks, which she instantly put over her children's mouths. The younger one, a little girl, was passed out most likely from smoke inhalation. The top floors were the worst for that, he directed the woman to back up and slammed his whole weight against the door. It gave instantly, and he reached a hand down to help the mother stand.

"Keep your head down." He instructed. Without bothering to ask he took the older child, he was probably about five years old, but they needed to move fast, the woman could handle her daughter, and she wasn't giving her up to anyone. The made their way down the emergency stairs of the building, the fire hadn't quite spread here yet, so it wasn't that bad of a trip. Luckily, the building wasn't too tall, that was the glory of Crime Alley, the highest structure was probably five or six stories, this building was only four. He got the family safe outside and directed the mother to the police, her daughter needed some emergency first response, but he needed to get back inside. The sounds of an ambulance and fire truck finally made their way through the streets. Before he could turn back into the building, he felt a hand grasp his arm.

"You're the Red Hood, right?" One of the officers on crowd control had spotted him.

"And what if I am?" Jason asked. Crap, crap, crap, he was going to avoid the police.

"You're a wanted man. I'm gonna have to ask you to come quietly." The officer said in his best authority voice, Jason had to stop himself from laughing at him.

"Excuse me?" Jason gestured to the building behind him. "You're really going to do this now? Isn't there a more pressing matter at hand?"

"You've been on the run for six years, the whole department has been looking for you." The officer was starting to pull his cuffs out, like hell that was going to happen.

"Listen to me for just a second." Jason stopped him. "There are probably still people trapped in this building, and fire _just _got here. Are you going to arrest me, or let me help save everyone we can in this building." The officer looked up at him, taking his hand off the cuffs to consider what he was saying. "Look, when the fire is out, I will go quietly, I won't even put up a fight. I mean, look at me." He gestured to his belt. "I don't have any weapons, just the tools I need to help whoever I can, and you're stopping me from that." The officer slammed his mouth shut and nodded, turning away from him. Jason took that as his permission to continue and ran back in the building before the guy could change his mind. There were finally firefighters inside and they were making sweeps of the building, already carrying out a few trapped people. Jason recognized a couple of the kids he saw earlier in the evening and tried to think past it.

He got an elderly couple that was on the first floor, a child that was wandering the halls, lost and confused, and he finally found the last of the apartments, a single woman inside. Her door was blocked from the other side and the firemen hadn't been able to get in. He could already hear them starting to clear the building and when firefighters were leaving, it was time to get the hell out of dodge. He picked the woman up, she was a little bigger than Cass, but nothing he couldn't handle, and took her out the same window he used to get in. She was on the second floor, but he caught the fire escape on the building next door and gently brought them down. She was screaming something in his ear, but the roar of the fire, and the adrenaline rush made her words illegible. He brought her over next to the waiting ambulance and she grabbed him, before he could walk away, pulling his face as close to hers as she could.

"My baby!" she yelled at him. "You left my baby in there!" Jason's heart sank. The firefighters were all clear of the building and they were starting to try and tame the inferno. He had time. Her apartment was more towards the back, he had time to rush back in and find it. The logical side of his brain told him it was time to clear out, there was nothing he could do. That side didn't seem to have control of his feet as he turned a heel to run back to the fire escape he climbed down with the woman. He found the window he exited and went into her apartment again. Her kitchen area was a sea of flames and he was beginning to wonder which direction he was going to find the baby in. He took a second to calm himself, that door over there was blocked. He opened another one, bathroom. His heart pounded in his ribcage as he opened another one, closet. He cursed under his breath and went to open another door, it was jammed. It took a couple of times slamming himself against it before it gave, a baby's room, finally. He reached into the crib where a little infant, probably only a few months old was lying limp. Without thinking, he pulled his glove off and checked for a pulse, it was faint, but there. He needed to get it out now, he scooped it up gently, holding it close to him as he rushed out of the room. The flames had spread from the kitchen, blocking the hallway and his escape window. He had no other alternative though. He tried to cover the baby with his arms, wishing he had a nomex jacket, like Bruce, Damian, and Tim had their capes. Now wasn't the time to dwell on it as he summoned up his last bit of strength to run through the flames and out the window. He grabbed the fire escape again, almost missing it this time. He rushed to the ambulance he took the child's mother to and handed the baby off to EMTs.

The strength in his legs gave out and he sat on the curve, trying to compose himself. The EMTs were giving the baby oxygen while the mother looked on worried, but only one actual thought raced through Jason's mind.

"I almost forgot a baby." He mumbled to himself. He bent over, putting his head between his knees, trying to regain his composure. He didn't notice the cops gathered behind him. He didn't know they were discussing what to do with him, that they were impressed with how much he just risked his life for total strangers. His promise to the officer earlier was lost on him and he got up from the curve, every instinct in his body leading him home. He did glance behind him as he entered the alleyway, to make sure he wasn't being followed, he only saw firefighters getting the fire under control, EMTs helping the worst of the victims, and the police with their backs turned to him watching the fire.

He cursed the new security under his breath when he entered the first codes wrong, causing a warning beep to go off in his helmet. The sound pierced his skull, and just when he thought he got it right, he got it wrong, another beep. He just wanted inside. Every muscle in his body ached now that the adrenaline rush was past. Before he could start his third attempt to get in, the door swung open. Cass must have heard him struggling and cussing outside and come to his rescue. She had found an old red zip up hoodie of his and put it on. Normally this would cause a reaction in him, but he was too tired.

He tried to make a beeline for the couch, but she caught his arm and directed him to the bedroom. He went through the process of actually discarding his uniform, with her help, before falling into bed face first. Something in his brain made him wait until Cass got into bed, he went to turn to hug her close to him, but her hands were at his back. Delicate fingers moved over all of his knots and sore spots, she started by pressing her thumb into various places on his back that he recognized at pressure points before straddling him and pressing her weight into some of the harder spots. He groaned as the ache was being relieved and felt himself fall asleep somewhere in the middle of heaven.

He woke up the next day, laying on his stomach still. He reached over to feel for Cass, but she wasn't there. Adrenaline shot through him and he sat up, wondering where she was. The sound of the teapot whistling calmed him a little and he made his way out to the kitchen. As he did, he couldn't help but notice how relaxed his body was. Usually after pushing himself like he did last night, he'd be aching for days and popping aspirin like it was candy. Cass was mixing herself some tea, a steaming cup of coffee already waiting for him. He ignored it for a second, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

"You're so perfect." He nuzzled into her hair, squeezing her tighter.

"I just wanted to do something to help." She turned her head up at him, looking guilty. "I wish I could have been out there last night."

"I would have worried about you the whole time." He grabbed his coffee, taking a sip of it, it was still scalding hot and he reeled when he sipped it. "You were plenty of help last night, letting me inside, and the massage." He grinned at her. "Without it, I don't think I would have been able to get out of bed this morning."

"You were pretty messed up." She said, finally sipping her tea. He watched the steam envelop her face, causing her cheeks to flush ever so slightly. She frowned at the tea and set it down, turning her attention back to him.

"What's wrong with your tea?" He asked, tilting his head at it.

"Oh, it's not my usual kind." She frowned at the cup again. "I'm only allowed to drink so much caffeine and Assam has a lot of it. This kind is lower in caffeine, but it's not near as good."

"Aaaaah, little Peanut can't handle too much caffeine?" Jason took a final sip of his coffee and set the cup in the sink. "I'm sorry you can't have your tea though. Maybe I'll cut back on the coffee, do it with you."

"That's not necessary." She said, abandoning her cup and heading into the living area to sit down on the couch. He was right behind her. "How was last night anyway? You looked terrible when you got home."

"Uhm, well." he draped his arm over her. "Usual fire situation, I saved as many people as I could. It's a good thing I was there too, the firefighters took their sweet time and I'm willing to bet a little girl and a woman and her baby would have died without me there." The other people he saved might have made it, but the little girl was already out from smoke inhalation and the firefighters were getting out without even trying to clear the door for the woman and her baby. Although, he couldn't help but wonder how the baby was actually doing, it was barely holding on when he found it. Something scratched at the back of his head, wondering if the baby would have been better off if he had taken the time to listen to the mother before he got her all the way out of there. He felt her lips on his cheek and shook those thoughts away.

"Sounds like you did fine on your own." She said, quietly. "You did everything you could." He smiled at her, he didn't even need to mention what was going through his head, she already knew. He hugged her tightly and kissed her a few times. "I've been meaning to ask you." She said, pulling away a little to look at him. "What's in that box you brought over from the manor?"

"Oh, that." He said, turning to look at it. He hadn't put it away since they got here, he actually wanted to go through it more first. "This is everything that was salvaged from my childhood." He stood up and brought it over to the coffee table so he could show it to her. "Remember how I was showing you my birth certificate the other day?" She nodded. "That was in here." He started pulling things out, some of it was his dad's old stuff. He paused on the address book, the one that had lead him to his real mother, and ultimately, his death. She sat in silence, waiting for him to finish with it. He shook his head and laid it with the other stuff, he learned a long time ago not to dwell on his past, and having her there with him gave him the strength to push past it.

She tentatively reached into the box and pulled out a dusty old book, wiping it off. "_Nate the Great._" She read the title aloud.

"What?!" He took it from her, turning it over in his hands. "I remember this book, I read it all the time." He smiled at it, flipping through the pages. "This was the only children's book we had around the house and I loved it."

"What's it about?" Cass asked him.

"Uh, well, Nate is a child detective." Jason scrunched his face in concentration, trying to remember the actual cases he solved in the book. "It's been way too long, I can't remember too much about it." He frowned. "There was a whole series of these books. I only owned this one, but the library had a couple. I know for sure I never read the last one that came out. No one seemed to have it anywhere."

"That's too bad." She said, eyeing the book with a lot of interest.

"Do you want to read it, Baby Bat?" He grinned at her, handing the book off.

"Are you sure?" She took it from him. "This is important to you."

"Exactly, which is why I'd be excited if you wanted to read it." he kissed the top of her head. "It's like I'm sharing my childhood with you, and I want to know if you like it too." She smiled at him and cracked open the book as he started putting everything back in the box, listening to her read aloud to herself. She was constantly trying to teach herself not to, she thought she was supposed to be able to read silently like everyone else. What she probably didn't know, was that he loved when she read aloud, especially a book like this that he was familiar with. It was like experiencing it for the first time again, through her. He felt like that was a theme with the two of them, she gave him second chances all the time.


	8. Chapter 8

"There's something different about you, Baby Bat..." Jason said, scanning her. Cass was less focused on his stare, and more focused on the fact that her back and shoulders were aching. She'd been stiff lately, what with not keeping up her usual amount of exercise, from sparring or patrol, but she never ached. She bent over to pull her underwear on and every muscle screamed at her for the effort, she grimaced a little, blowing her bangs out of her face when she straightened up.

"Maybe it's because I need to cut my hair." She said, running her fingers through it. She didn't normally let it get this long, but she really didn't want to bother with it.

"Maybe?" He frowned, she could tell he didn't really think it was her hair that he was noticing. She pulled one of her sports bras out of the dresser and started to put it on. It took her a second to realize that it didn't actually fit, not even barely. She pulled it off to look at the size, wondering if she had the wrong one. It was right, the same as her other bras. She pulled it on again, finagling it around until it completely covered her breasts. It was tight, she started to wonder if it had somehow shrunk in the wash when she noticed Jason had watched her struggle the whole time. "That's it." He said, staring at her chest now. "Your boobs have grown." She looked down at them, they were squished under the sports bra, which caused them to throb with a dull ache. "That looks really uncomfortable." He said.

"I can't do anything about it." Cass sighed, pulling her jeans on. "All of my bras are the same size and Stephanie is coming over any minute now." Her back ached even more now that her breasts were so constricted. Her and Stephanie were going out to get dresses for the annual Wayne Halloween Gala, she wasn't about to leave braless.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that." He said. She looked at him as she pulled her shirt on. He didn't want to go to the Gala, but she was required to go, the press expected to see her there. "Maybe we can think of some excuse not to go tomorrow? You've been sick, we could use that."

"We could, but we both know the press won't let that go." Cass started putting her boots on, lacing them up.

"I know, I know." Jason sucked some air in. A knocking at the front door caused him to leave her to answer it. She straightened herself up from tying her boots and rubbed her back, trying to relieve it a little bit before she headed out to see Tim and Stephanie in the living room, chatting with Jason. There was something about Stephanie, Cass tried to figure out what it was. Something about the way she was holding herself felt familiar, but she couldn't place it. Tim had a similar feel to him, Stephanie seemed to be bouncing with contained excitement, like she was holding back some huge news. She beamed when she saw Cass, and it hit her.

"You're pregnant." she said. Tim went wide eyed and Stephanie couldn't contain herself anymore.

"I am!" She said, rushing over to hug Cass. "We just found out the other day! I'm so excited!"

"We were going to wait to tell everyone until after she had her doctor's appointment, though." Tim sighed. Jason slapped him on the shoulder, chuckling.

"You can't keep that kind of secret from Cass, Tim. You should know that by now." he said.

"You have no idea how excited I am though." Stephanie said, bouncing where she stood.

"I think I have a good idea." Cass smiled at her.

"No, I mean. Barb is due next month to have her next daughter. You're due in May, and if our calculations are right, I should come due in July." She smiled wider as she said it. "We'll all have kids around the same age. I feel like they're all coming into the world with friends already at their disposal."

"That is if they can get along." Jason said, shrugging.

"I think they will." Stephanie turned to Jason now. "If all of us can get along, I think our kids can." She brought her attention back to Cass. "But, you and I should get going. We have the rest of the day to talk about this." Cass nodded and the two of them said goodbye to the guys. On the way out she swore she heard Tim say something to Jason about the Red Hood and wondered if everyone was aware that he had been at that fire a couple of weeks back.

Stephanie took the driver's seat and started to tell Cass all about this dress boutique that she wanted to check out. Normally Wayne Halloween parties were just costume balls, but this year they decided on a masquerade.

"The place we usually go is more for black tie events, so they don't have anything really fun." Stephanie explained as they pulled into the parking lot. "But a friend of mine recently got married and she got her bridesmaids dresses from here and they were just too cute." Cass never really cared about what she wore to these events, so long as it wasn't too revealing and she didn't have to deal with being stared at all night by men whose intentions were obvious, even to a normal person. Stephanie was happy to find her something everytime, dress shopping was the most enjoyable experience for the both of them, because it meant time together.

"Hello, ladies." The woman poised at the entrance said cheerfully as they entered. "Are you here for a wedding? Or for another event?"

"We're getting dresses for the Wayne Gala tomorrow." Stephanie said, with an air of dignity. "I'm Stephanie Drake-Wayne, and my friend here is Cassandra Wayne." The woman's eyes went wide and she told them to wait a moment while she found them someone who could find them what they were looking for.

"What'd you tell her that for?" Cass asked, feeling some eyes on them from anyone who overheard.

"What fun is it to have a name to drop if you don't do it." Stephanie grinned. "Besides, this place is pretty brand new, I'm sure they'd love the P.R. they'd get if 'The Wayne Daughter' wore one of their dresses to a Gala." Cass was confused as to what she meant by that. "Look, the place we usually go to gets a lot of business from the people who usually attend Wayne events, right?" Cass nodded. "This place is brand new, I think my friend said she was one of their first weddings. And though it seems silly to you, if you wore one of their dresses, it would help them out. All you have to do is mention this place when the press asks you where you got your dress tomorrow, and bam, they're hit with more customers than they know what to do with."

"I don't know why that would cause other people to come in here." Cass said looking around. This boutique was small, not near as big as the one she was used to. It had a much homier atmosphere to it though, it definitely didn't have the feel of a high end boutique.

"Because despite what you like to think, the second Bruce adopted you, you became a celebrity in Gotham." Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I may be known for marrying Tim, but you're on a whole nother level, sister." The second she finished her thought the woman who greeted them came out with another excited looking woman in tow.

"Mrs. Drake, Miss Wayne." She said, fixing her hair and extending her hand for the two of them to shake. "My name is Julia, I'm the owner."

"You didn't have to come out here for our sake." Stephanie said, smiling at her.

"I most certainly did." Julia said. "Isn't the Wayne Halloween party tomorrow? I need to get both of you fitted fast."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Stephanie said, frowning at her. "We've been busy lately and the gala slipped our minds, or else we would have given you more time."

"Oh, it's quite alright, Mrs. Drake." Julia puffed out her chest. "This is like a test for me. I promise you two will have your dresses before the doors open tomorrow night."

"Thank you, Julia, and you can call me Stephanie, or Steph, whichever you prefer. And I'm sure Cass would like it if you called her by her first name as well." Stephanie said, gesturing to Cass.

"Alright then, do you ladies know what you're looking for?" Julia said motioning for them to follow her to some of the racks.

"I like to wear black." Cass said, already eying a few black dresses.

"The gala is a masquerade this year." Stephanie explained to Julia. "We normally wear really black tie event style dresses, but I figured we could get something saucy for this one."

"I have some masks with the accessories towards the back of the store if you want to look at those." Julia said, pointing towards where she was talking about.

"That could work." Stephanie grabbed Cass' arm. "We can pick out our masks first, and choose dresses from there." They found themselves staring at a wall of masks, some fancy, some simple. Cass stared blankly at it, not really sure what to pick out, when Stephanie elbowed her in the arm. "Look at that one." She pointed to a bright red mask. "I think Jason would appreciate that one."

"You think so?" Cass said, picking it up and putting it over her eyes to show Stephanie.

"Oh, yeah." She laughed. "Guys are all about girls being 'all theirs'. It would make his night knowing you went to the gala as some kind of fem-Red Hood." She picked up a mask that looked pretty similar to Tim's as Red Robin. "Oh! You know what you can do? You can get a grey dress and have a leather dress jacket over it, with that mask."

"Is that your plan?" Julia came back from taking a phone call.

"For her, definitely." Stephanie said. "I think the red of the mask will pop with all the subdued colors she'd be wearing." Cass smiled at her, she was always quick to come up with explanations and different ideas when it came to hiding the hero stuff. "Plus, a leather jacket fits her personality."

"We don't have any leather jackets here though, I'm sorry." Julia apologized

"That's okay." Cass said. "I have one at home."

"You're not wearing that big baggie thing you've had for years." Stephanie rolled her eyes. "We can pick one up, there's a leather store around here."

"In the meantime, let's find your dresses." Julia said, cheerfully. She lead them back to the dresses and started thumbing through some grey ones. Stephanie instantly found a black and red one that she liked, winking at Cass and holding it up next to the mask she picked up earlier. So she was going with the same theme for herself. Julia pulled a grey strapless dress out and examined it for a second, taking the red mask from Cass. "I think this will go great, especially if you're going to have a jacket over it."

"That looks perfect." Stephanie said. "We're going to have to buy you a strapless bra though."

"I can get this fitted with the one she's wearing." Julia lead them to the changing rooms at the back. The mentioning of a bra reminded Cass of her issue this morning, and subsequently reminded her of the pain in her back. It wasn't so bad when she wasn't thinking about it, but now it ached worse than before. Cass tried on her dress first, it actually fit pretty well, although, that was with her sports bra squashing her. She tried to adjust it, but there was nothing she could do. She walked out for the fitting and Julia's eyes immediately flitted to her chest. "I can't fit it if your bra doesn't fit though."

"I'm sorry." Cass said, adjusting herself again. "I don't have any that fit right now because-" Stephanie coughed, cutting her off.

"We'll have to go out and get you some that fit then." She said. "Can you wait, Julia? I had no idea she was having this issue, or I would have taken her bra shopping first." Julia nodded and Cass changed back into her clothes. Stephanie quickly grabbed her by the arm again and lead her out to the car. "I know you're excited about being pregnant, Cass, but you need to remember that while Julia is a nice woman, that kind of gossip is hard not to spread."

"I don't really care though." Cass shrugged.

"Yeah, I know you don't, but I don't think Jason would be too happy with what the tabloids would say about you if news got out that you were pregnant out of wedlock." Stephanie furrowed her brow, pulling out of the parking lot.

"What does it matter if I'm married or not?" Cass leaned back in her seat, trying to take some of the burden off of her back. "I love Jason, and we're having a baby. Why do we need to be married for that to be okay?"

"Because some people have their head up their asses." Stephanie smirked at her. "And they think that the only way to prove you love someone is to marry them."

"I guess..." Cass said as they pulled up to the mall, outside of a bra shop. "We don't need to go somewhere this nice though, Stephanie. I know-"

"What your size is? Do you? Really?" Stephanie said, sarcastically. "From what I saw, you need a cup size bigger at least. Which means you might need to give up the sports bras, I don't think normal places carry them at that size."

"But." Cass sighed. "I've never been to this kind of place."

"It's alright." Stephanie got out of the car and Cass followed. "I'll be there with you, it's not so bad." They walked in and were greeted at the door, yet again.

"Can I help you ladies?" She asked.

"Yep, my friend here needs to be fitted for a new bra." Stephanie said, putting an arm over Cass' shoulders.

"Ah, yes." The woman said. "They seem to grow overnight on you when you're a teenager." Stephanie paused and looked at Cass before bursting out laughing.

"She's not a teenager." She choked trying to stifle it. "I know she looks really young, but she's older than me."

"I'm so sorry!" The woman blushed furiously. "I shouldn't have assumed."

"It's okay. I'm used to it." Cass shrugged. The woman continued to apologize until she brought them to a fitting room and closed them in, asking them to wait for a specialist.

"Are you really used to that?" Stephanie asked, sitting down on the bench.

"Yeah, I get that a lot when I'm with Jason." She answered, crossing her arms.

"Jason does look older than he actually is..." Stephanie nodded. "He's younger than you though right? He _just_ turned twenty seven."

"Yeah, he's only a few months younger than me." Cass smiled. "Everyone always assumes he's much older, and I'm much younger though." A knock came on the door and another chipper looking woman came in.

"Bra fitting, right?" She asked, looking pointedly at Cass. They both nodded and she closed the door behind her, pulling some measuring tape out of her pocket. "Is this your first one?"

"Yes." Cass said, she could hear the nervousness in her own voice.

"It's alright, sweetheart." The woman said softly. "It's not that bad. Although, I'm going to have to ask you to take off your shirt." Cass complied, feeling her cheeks flush with a total stranger staring at her chest. Stephanie whistled.

"Damn, Cass. That has to hurt." She said, wincing.

"Yeah, my back has been hurting me all day." Cass admitted, rubbing it a little.

"I'll bet it does if you've been wearing this." The specialist said. "I need you to take it off though, so I can get an accurate measurement." Cass did as instructed and felt her face heat up again as the woman quickly measured her. "What size were you wearing before?" she asked, inspecting her tape.

"Uh, a C-cup." Cass said, covering herself with her arms now that the woman was done.

"You're definitely a 'D' now." She said, nodding at her tape. "Hold on, I'll be back with a bra that'll fit you."

"Jeeze, Cass. You and I are the same size now." Stephanie said, leaning on her hands.

"Maybe they'll go back after the baby is born." Cass turned to her, hoping it was possible.

"I don't think so. Mine didn't after my first kid, and Barb's haven't." Stephanie half-smiled at her. "You'll just have to deal with being kinda large chested for the rest of your life."

"I liked them were they were though." Cass sighed.

"You'll get used to them, but seriously though, they seem to have grown overnight. Your back and shoulders must be killing you." Stephanie looked at her with a lot of sympathy.

"They are, but I'm okay."

"My advice is when you get home, just soak in the tub for a while. That should help the ache, and if not, some asprin." The bra woman came back in with a white bra and was quick to help Cass into it.

"There we go." She said, tightening the straps. "Perfect."

"That fits great." Stephanie said, getting up and inspecting it. "I'm sure she could use a couple more, since she has no bras now, and we need a strapless one for a dress she's going to be wearing soon." The woman nodded and cut the tag from the one she was wearing, handing it to Stephanie so Cass could wear the bra out. She put her shirt back on the the woman lead them to the brand they were looking for and helped them pick out a black one and a strapless.

"These are expensive though." Cass whispered to Stephanie as the specialist left them to help someone else. "This is why I get sports bras, 'cause they're cheap."

"It's alright, Cass." Stephanie said, pulling a card out of her purse. "Bruce always pays for your stuff for galas since you're forced to come anyway."

"I know, and Jason hates it." Cass eyed the card.

"I get that." Stephanie sighed. "But there's nothing we can do about it." They headed to the register and paid for the bras. "Let's get some food while we're here. I could go for some mall food."

"Yeah, I'm starving." They found the food court and split off to get something to eat. Cass was already seated and eating by the time Stephanie joined her.

"Man, there's always a line at that place, but they're so good." She sighed, digging into her food. Cass nodded at her and they ate, not really talking about anything important until the sound of a baby crying made them both turn to look at it. "It feels like I see babies everywhere now." Stephanie sighed, watching the mother coo over her child. "Pregnant people and babies." she corrected herself.

"Me too." Cass nodded, finishing off her food. "Maybe we're just paying more attention since we'll be there soon?"

"Maybe." Stephanie said, looking like she was a million miles away. "I can't wait." She turned back to Cass. "I've wanted to be a mother to my own child since I had to give away my last one. But I was too young then, I couldn't have given it the life it deserved." She started stacking their trays together. "But, I'm older, I'm married, and I just can't wait."

"I think I know how you feel." Cass said, standing up and grabbing her bag from the bra store and some of their trash that didn't fit on the trays. "I think what gets me is the not knowing." Stephanie opened her mouth, but Cass continued her thought. "I'm trying to stay positive, I really am. But it's not a matter of wishing or hoping, it's up to my body, and up to the baby. As long as it's still in there, I have hope."

"That's all you can do." Stephanie said quietly, throwing away their trash, she waited for Cass to throw what she had in her hands out before pulling her into a hug. "Everything will work itself out." Cass squeezed her back, feeling some tears form but she kept them from falling. Stephanie let go of her, sighing and wiping her eyes. "Let's get going, we don't want to leave Julia waiting too long and- oh, look at that." Cass followed where her finger was pointing and saw a leather goods store. "Let's run in and see if we can't get you a jacket."

They crossed their way through the mall and walked in, the place smelled like brand new leather and Stephanie grabbed Cass' arm again, directing her to the women's jackets. Cass immediately found one that looked similar to the one Jason wore as the Red Hood and pulled it off the rack.

"That one is perfect." Stephanie said, eying it. "Try it on." Cass pulled it on, the first one was snug on her shoulders, so they picked up a size bigger. "Leather looks good on you when it fits." Stephanie nodded at it.

"That jacket I wear is really important to me though." Cass shrugged the new one off and draped it over her arm. "It's from the night Jason and I met."

"I know, It's his, right?" Stephanie asked as they walked to the register. "I still don't know that whole story, by the way."

"Maybe I'll tell you one day." Cass said, smirking as the teller rang up the jacket. They turned to leave and Stephanie continued the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah. 'It's a secret'." She sighed. They found their way back to the bra shop and waved to the greeter, who flushed again when she saw Cass. They cut straight through and headed out through the door at the back. "By the way." Stephanie said, as they got into the car. "Have I told you that you are the easiest person ever to shop with?"

"I just want to get it over with." Cass leaned against her seat in the car again, sighing.

"I know, but some people actually shop around before picking stuff out." Stephanie started to back out of their parking spot.

"I don't know anything about fashion." Cass closed her eyes and rubbed her face, yawning. "I'm okay with you figuring out what I'm going to wear to these things."

"Yeah, but you know what you like." Stephanie reminded her. "It's one thing to understand trends, it's another thing to know what you feel comfortable in." They pulled back into the dress store. "If I picked out something for you that you didn't like, you wouldn't wear it."

"True." Cass agreed as they walked in the doors, the greeter recognized them and ran back to get Julia. "But I trust your judgment. You know what I like as well as I do."

"That comes with the territory of being your best friend." Stephanie puffed her chest out as Julia came rushing out to greet them. "Sorry it took us so long, Julia. We got some lunch and found her a leather jacket too."

"Oh really?" Julia asked. "Do you mind bringing it in, so I can see it?"

"Sure, I'll get it while Cass changes." Stephanie said, already heading out the door.

"Perfect." Julia lead Cass back to the changing rooms and handed her her dress, that was sitting off to the side with all of their other stuff. Cass took it and changed as quickly as she could, coming back out to Stephanie holding her new jacket out for her. She put it on and walked over to the fitting area, where Julia was waiting. "Oh, that looks great." She pulled on the jacket, checking the size on her. "It's a little big on your waist, but you definitely needed the size on your shoulders." She pulled it off and handed it to Stephanie.

"Yeah, she's got some muscle on her, so things never fit her shoulders right." Stephanie said, looking Cass over.

"There's nothing wrong with that." Julia said, looking at the dress now. "Now that your bra fits, I can see that it's a tad snug there, but it's strapless so you kind of want it to be." She brought the hem up to where it was supposed to lay, just at the knee, and pinned it around, doing the same with the layer of the dress. She moved to check the back and paused, staring. Stephanie cleared her throat.

"Is she done?"

"Yeah, you can get into yours and she can get dressed." Julia answered. Stephanie grabbed her own dress and followed Cass over to the fitting rooms.

"She was staring hardcore at your scars." She whispered. "You definitely need to keep this jacket on tomorrow, cause that dress doesn't hide them at all."

"Right..." Cass said heading into her own dressing room. She twisted herself around to look in the mirror, all of her old bullet wounds from her training were visible on her back. She frowned and turned back to her clothes, carefully taking the dress off and trying not to disturb the pins. She took it out with her when she was dressed and found Stephanie already being fitted. She was telling Julia all about Tim and how much he'd like this look on her, even though if she were just buying the dress for herself, she would have gotten eggplant purple. Julia tried to talk her into getting another dress with that coloring, but Stephanie waved her off, saying she didn't have a reason to buy one at the moment. Cass could make out her saying, 'It won't even fit in a few months anyway.' with her body language and smiled. Stephanie left the fitting area to get dressed and they grabbed all their items and paid at the register, Julia giving them her guarantee that their dresses would be done in time.

"I think I'll hold onto your mask and your jacket." Stephanie winked at Cass when they pulled up to Jason's safe house. "So you can surprise Jason with it tomorrow."

"You know he hates that you make him wait to see this stuff." Cass chuckled, getting out of the car with only her bag from the bra store.

"I know, but he's going to have to deal." Stephanie grinned at her. "The best part is the whole package. I'm sure he loves it while he hates it." Cass shook her head, smiling, while she carefully punched in the codes. The final part of the security was an eye scan, and the only people who could get in with it were her and Jason. She stood on her tiptoes as the light blinded her temporarily and the door clicked open. Jason was in the middle of making dinner when they walked in.

"Hey, girls." He said, glancing up at them and smiling. "How was shopping?" He spotted the bag in Cass' hand before they could answer. "Did you actually bring the stuff in so I could see it, or is that something else?"

"Something else." Stephanie half-sang. "You know you're not allowed to know what she's wearing until I get her all together."

"Can you at least give me a hint?" He asked, walking over to them now.

"Noooope." Stephanie sang again, turning herself to squeeze Cass. "I should be getting home though, today was fun, and I'll see you tomorrow." She let go of Cass and waved goodbye to Jason before closing the door behind her. Jason sighed.

"She's always doing that to me. I just want to know what I'm in for." Cass shook her head at him and stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. Her back ached again as she rested back on her heels and she winced. "What's the matter?" He put a hand on her cheek, looking concerned.

"Nothing, my back has just been hurting me today." she said, moving into the bedroom to put her new bras away.

"That's odd. You don't usually have issues like that." Jason watched her from the doorway.

"I know, it's because of my breasts growing." She pulled the tags off one of the bras and folded it into the drawer.

"Oh, really? I had no idea that could happen." He furrowed his brow, noticing the types of bras she was pulling out of the bag. "You didn't get any sports bras?"

"No, they don't make them in this size, according to Stephanie." Cass sighed, pulling the tags off the strapless and laying it next to the other one.

"And, what size is that?" Jason raised his eyebrows.

"A 'D'." She turned to him, his mouth hung open a little bit when she said it.

"Holy shit." he whispered. The sound of a timer going off brought him back to reality and he turned into the kitchen to tend to it. She walked out to see him spooning some food out for the two of them.

"That looks great." She said, grabbing a couple of forks out of the drawer.

"Yeah, I got a little fancy with dinner tonight." he smirked, handing her her plate and taking a fork from her. They sat at the table and ate, Cass told him all about their shopping trip, trying not to spare too many details about what they actually bought.

"That bra shop sounded pretty terrible." He said after she relayed how uncomfortable she was while getting fitted.

"It was definitely my least favorite part of today." Cass finished off her food and stood up with her plate, Jason not far behind. They set their plates in the sink and he pulled her into a hug.

"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked.

"I was actually thinking of taking a bath." She answered him, pulling away to head into the bedroom. "Stephanie told me it would help with my back aching and it sounds really inviting right now."

"Well, then take a bath." he smiled at her. "I think I'll do the dishes while you're in there."

"Okay." She was already stripping her clothes off. She couldn't help but wince as she got her bra off, the added support had relieved some of the ache until now. She headed into the bathroom and turned the faucet on the tub, the shower kicking on took her by surprise. She forgot they kept it constantly set to the shower since they barely used the bath. After switching it to the faucet, she played with the temperature until it was as hot as she could handle and got in, squeezing some bubble bath in. The bathroom door opened and Jason peeked his head in.

"Actually." he smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." She moved herself forward to give him room to sit behind her. He squeezed himself in, he was a little too tall for the tub and had to bend his knees to fit. She turned the water off and leaned back on him, she didn't realize how much she was hurting until now, the water turned her pain into a dull throbbing and she sighed, closing her eyes. His hands started to move over her shoulders, massaging her gently. She tilted her head to look at him and he smiled, kissing her forehead before moving his hands to her breasts, massaging them too. They were painfully tender and she sucked in some air when he first started working. He continued until the ache worked itself out and she couldn't stifle a moan. He paused when she did and she could feel his hands twitch.

"This is almost too much to take." He muttered.

"I'm sorry." She furrowed her brow at him. She knew how long it had been for the two of them and she felt guilty for always getting all of the attention.

"I'm not talking about doing this." he ran his hands over her breasts again. "I'm talking about these." He relaxed behind her and moved his hands off of them, concentrating on her back now.

"I know, they'll take some getting used to." she frowned at herself. He chuckled and pressed his hands into her back harder.

"I don't think that'll be a problem. We might have to make some adjustments to your uniform when the time comes though." he shrugged.

"Speaking of that." Cass tilted her head to look at him again, remembering what had happened before her and Stephanie left. "What was Tim talking to you about earlier?"

"Oh, that." he muttered, moving his hands to run them along her arms. "He just wanted to let me know that Bruce and everyone are aware that I was at the fire the other day."

"And?" She felt like there was more to it than that.

"Well," Jason paused, putting his arms around her now and bringing her close. "Bruce is supposedly impressed. Tim thinks that if I can play by the rules and keep my nose clean, that I can convince them to let me operate in Gotham."

"That's good." She raised her eyebrows at him.

"It is. I know." he sighed. "I'm just a little torn. The Red Hood has some business here, that's for sure, and I feel jittery when I don't go out... But, I don't know if I'd like leaving you and Peanut here, all by yourself."

"We'll be fine." She said. "You added all that security, so you know if anyone comes in without permission. Also, I'm still very capable of taking care of myself."

"I know you are." he smirked at her, running his hands over her stomach. "When do you think you're going to start getting a belly by the way?"

"I have no idea." She rested her hands on his. "The book said it was different for everyone."

"I keep trying to picture it on you." He kissed the back of her head. "But it's hard to imagine."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." She turned their hands over to look at them, they were both pruned from sitting in the water so long, and it was then that she noticed the water was getting tepid. "I think it may be time to get out though."

"I was thinking the same thing." he nodded. "But, you do have me trapped here." She sat up off of him and pulled the plug from the tub, getting out and finding a towel for the both of them. They dried themselves off and she couldn't help but notice how relaxed she was now.

"You're good at those massages." she smiled at him.

"I needed to repay you for the other night." he shrugged. "Let me know anytime you're having aches and I'll gladly do it again."


	9. Chapter 9

"You know, Baby Bat. I'm kinda unsure about tonight." Jason said as they got off the motorcycle. They parked it in the Cave to keep it hidden from prying eyes. "You haven't been sick in a couple of days. I feel like it's the calm before the storm or something."

"I don't know." Cass shrugged. "I've been feeling really good lately." They started heading up the stairs to the manor to get ready for the gala.

"I know, and I think it's great." he said, pushing the clock aside. "But, it's just a feeling that I have."

"There you two are." Selina said, walking towards them. She was already dressed, wearing a long black dress with a slit up one side, her costume makeup wasn't too overdone, it was mostly around her eyes, making the green pop out through all the dark liner and shadow. A mask that resembled a cat was also pinned to the side of her head, a netting from the mask laid over her hair and draped onto her forehead and it looked like it was meant to stay there.

"You and cats Selina, I swear." Jason smirked at her.

"Roawr." She said, putting her hand next to her face like a cat paw. "Go with what you know, kiddo, that's my motto. This is a halloween party too, a lot of people are going to be themed in some way."

"I think I'll just stick to my tux." he shrugged.

"Awe, don't be a stick in the mud, Kid." Selina sighed, turning her attention to Cass. "Steph ran upstairs a few minutes ago with all of your stuff, sounds like your dresses were ready just in time. You should head up so she can get you all dolled up." Cass nodded, heading for the stairs and she overheard Selina make another comment to Jason. "From what I saw, those two have a special theme planned for their outfits too. I'm excited to see the finished product." They were out of sight by the time Cass heard the end of her thought, but she could picture Jason sighing and complaining about Stephanie's little surprises.

Sarah came running out of one of the bedrooms as Cass was finding her way to Stephanie. She had an orange and black dress with a frills on the skirt like a tutu. Her face was half painted orange and her firey red hair was up in a bun, probably to keep it out of the paint. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Cass.

"Aunt Cass! Aunt Cass!" She ran over to greet her. "I'm a pum'kin!"

"I see that." Cass bent over to pick her up, giving her a quick hug in time to see Dick coming for her.

"Thanks for catching her." he said, taking Sarah from Cass' arms. "I'm in charge of getting her ready so Babs can look her best." He smiled. "She won't stay still for anything though, just like her father." He chuckled to himself. "Babs and Steph are a couple doors down, they're waiting for you." he said, pointing to where he was referring. Cass thanked him and waved goodbye to Sarah before heading down the hall. She opened the door and Stephanie was on her in an instant.

"There you are! I was starting to think I wasn't going to have enough time to get us both ready before people started showing up."

"I'm sorry, Stephanie."

"Don't apologize, just strip, girlie. We gotta hurry." Stephanie said, it looked like she had just gotten her dress on when Cass came in, she quickly did the zipper up and rushed over to some hanging dress bags to get Cass' dress.

"Calm down Steph, we have plenty of time." Barbara said, calmly. She already had on her dress, it was black and simple it flowed nicely off of her belly, showing she was pregnant, but not sticking to her stomach like some maternity dresses did, a band of blue across her chest was the only color on the dress. She was applying her makeup carefully, doing it similar to how Selina had it, darker around the eyes and her hair was up in curlers. It took a second to register what theme she was going with until Cass spotted a black mask laying next to her on the vanity.

"Nightwing?" She asked. "Was that planned?"

"I can guarantee it was not." Stephanie said, handing Cass her dress. "I suppose great minds think alike." Stephanie stood in her place, waiting for Cass to get dressed. Her mind was moving a mile a minute like she wasn't sure who to worry about more.

"You start getting your hair ready while she's changing, Steph." Barbara said, noticing her anxiety. Stephanie nodded, taking a deep breath before finding her own set of curlers and rolling them into her hair. Cass started getting undressed while the two of them finished. "That dress looks good on you." Barbara commented once Cass had it on all the way.

"Yeah, and Julia worked extra hard on it so that it would be done today, so make sure to mention her store if the press asks you about it." Stephanie said, putting the last of her curlers in. It was obvious that she was reminding herself as much as she was reminding Cass. Of the three of them, she was the newest to dealing with the press and going to galas. Tim only started bringing her when he absolutely had to and she learned really fast how to handle herself, but she still got nervous every so often. Barbara moved away from the vanity so Stephanie could do her makeup. "You know." She said, grabbing her own eyeliner. "I bet a lot of the women here go to stylists for these things."

"I can guarantee they do." Barbara said, motioning for Cass to move in front of her, sitting her on the bed, and started brushing her hair. "And I used to as well, but for something like this, it doesn't really matter. We're in costumes, not fancy wear."

"I know." Stephanie shrugged. "It just would have been nice. I bet we could have gotten the full treatment, like a day spa."

"Yeah, we could." Barbara finished brushing and ran her fingers through Cass' hair a couple of times. "Did you have a plan for her hair? It's longer than it usually is."

"I have some bobby pins in my bag, I was gonna pull it back and curl some stray pieces with a hot iron." Stephanie turned to look at Cass.

"I see, I can do that." Barbara got up to get the pins Stephanie mentioned and started working on Cass' hair. Stephanie smirked back at the two of them.

"How do you like having us do all of this for you, Cass?" She said, turning back to her makeup.

"I'm used to it, actually." Cass answered as Barbara left her for a second to turn on the curling iron. "If it were up to me, I'd wear an old dress of mine, keep my hair normal, and not wear any makeup."

"And you could have gotten away with that before Bruce adopted you." Barbara said, pulling some pieces out of her pinup job so she could curl them. "But, the press is way too interested in you lately. Especially since you've been living with Jason, they haven't seen you around Gotham, or at any of these events. So prepare yourself for the questions you're going to get."

"Yeah, there's nothing interesting going on with any of the Wayne kids, so long as they know." Stephanie said, putting the finishing touches on her face. "Barb and Dick are on their second kid, and the second isn't near as interesting as the first." Barbara threw her a look. "Sorry, you know it's true though. Tim and I are married, so we're boring now until we get pregnant." Cass could tell she hadn't told Barbara yet, so she kept the news to herself. "Damian is eighteen, so they're kind of interested in him, but he won't be major news until he has a girlfriend." She paused, looking at her face and turning back to Cass and Barbara. "But, you, Cass." She got up from the vanity and helped her up, leading her to sit down so she could do her makeup. "You are 'The Wayne Daughter', the only daughter Bruce adopted. Everyone is interested in what you're doing because you're still single, as far as they know." She started lining Cass' eyes. "'What is The Wayne Daughter up to nowadays? Is any man going to steal her heart, and possibly her father's fortune?'" Cass scrunched up her face. "Don't do that. Those are real headlines I've seen though."

"Yeah I saw those." Barbara said, Cass could hear her walking over to them. "The curling iron is done, Steph."

"Thanks, Barb. I don't know what I'd do without you." Stephanie sighed. "Hold still, Cass." She did as instructed, feeling the heat of the iron on her forehead and cheeks as Stephanie curled her bangs and a couple of pieces in front of her ears. She felt Stephanie pin her bangs back, "You can open your eyes now, you know." Cass looked at herself in the mirror, her eye makeup wasn't quite as overdone as everyone else's and her hair was curled around her face where it wasn't pinned back. Stephanie pulled out some bright red lipstick and lined Cass' lips with it, carefully filling them in.

"Looks great, Steph." Barbara said, pulling on her mask. Now Cass realized why the eye makeup was so dark. With the masks on, the makeup hid any skin that would show through. With her mask securely tied, Barbara started taking out her curlers, her hair falling out of them in waves that covered the ribbon tie from the mask.

"It really does." Stephanie said, grabbing both her and Cass' masks, handing Cass her bright red one. Cass tied hers on while Stephanie did the same, pulling her hair out of the curlers, like Barbara had a second ago. "And now the best part." She reached into the last bag, pulling out Cass' leather jacket. Cass pulled it on and Barbara looked her over, nodding.

"We're like a bunch of love struck teenagers." She chuckled, "Dressing like our men."

"You know it, Sister." Stephanie said, puffing out her chest and slipping some heels on. "Oh, Cass, those boots you were wearing in here? Those will go perfect with that. You have a biker chick look going, so your bike boots will be perfect." Cass walked over next to the bed, where she had discarded her boots earlier and started putting them on. "Let's go out and surprise the boys," Stephanie and Barbara were already out the door. Cass finished with her boots and went to stand up. The room started to spin and she sat back down, holding her head. It was like it hit her all at once, she leaned over taking deep breaths, hearing footsteps at the door.

"Cass? Are you okay?" Barbara sat down next to her on the bed.

"I was." Cass said, breathing heavily. That was the only thing she concentrated on, breathing. She didn't want to ruin the work Barbara and Stephanie had just put into her. All she had to do was breathe.

"Cass!" Stephanie's voice was at the door. "Oh, you poor thing. I was feeling optimistic about tonight, too."

"I'm okay." Cass straightened up. The nausea had passed, but the dizziness was still prevalent. Stephanie pulled her up by the hands and her head swam, Barbara's hand was on her back, rubbing in small circles.

"Are you sure?" She said softly. "We can make up an excuse for you. You're sick, so it's not that hard."

"Yeah, it's passed now." Cass blinked the dizziness away.

"It'll be back though." Stephanie sighed. "Knowing how you normally are, you'll be like this all night." A knock came at the door, and Tim poked his head in.

"Alfred told me you were looking for- Is Cass okay?" He said, walking into the room.

"Morning sickness has reared its ugly head again." Stephanie sighed, turning to him.

"We should really sue the person who coined that phrase." Tim smirked. "We have evidence to prove the name oh so false." The girls chuckled, Tim was good about well placed jokes to lighten the mood. "But seriously though, the press has started to show up, and there's no way in hell I'm letting them know that Cass has morning sickness."

"My thoughts exactly." Dick's voice came from the door. Sarah was talking up a storm in his arms, but he was paying more attention to everyone else in the room. "The press will be here all night, but that doesn't mean we all have to stay all night, and that includes Cass."

"We always have to make an entrance together, though." Tim reminded him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to go down there right this second." Stephanie said. "We're supposed to be 'fashionably late'."

"Bruce, Selina, and Damian are all down there greeting people already." Jason said, leaning on the doorframe. Everyone turned to his voice, but his full attention was on Cass.

"They have to be, they live here." Barbara said, nodding. "But we have to be down there before Bruce makes his big welcome speech."

"Exactly, the one where all of us who are his kids, adopted or otherwise, have to stand behind him and look pretty for the picture that'll be in the tabloids and newspapers." Tim said.

"Okay, here's the plan." Dick put on his leader voice. The one that made the entire Titans, Justice League, and Bat Team listen to him without question, even Sarah stopped talking to look at him wide eyed. "Cass is okay now, right?" Cass nodded at him. "So, we'll head down there now. We're all ready anyway." The boys were already in tuxes, and Sarah's face paint was done, a little black top hat pinned in her hair. It definitely wasn't staying in all night, but it looked good for the pictures. "I'll go to Bruce as soon as I can and explain the situation to him, so he knows we might have to wait out the next bit of nausea until he makes his speech. Just so that she doesn't end up getting sick during that time. That would be the worst, 'cause that's when the attention is most on us." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Other than that, I think someone should be with her at all times." Jason opened his mouth, but Dick cut him off. "I know you're the best candidate for that Jason, but I think I have a better job for you. She needs an out, because we all know she's going to get worse as the night progresses. So, your job would be that of the guy who's been dancing with her, and interested in her," Dick took a deep breath, "and the guy she ends up leaving with."

"Are you suggesting that-" Jason started, his voice rising in volume as he spoke, but Dick stopped him.

"Yes, I'm suggesting that she would leave with a total stranger for a one night stand." Jason tensed. "I don't like it anymore than you do, Jason, but it's the easiest way to get her out of there."

"It's the easiest way to get the tabloids talking about how 'Daddy's bad habits have rubbed off on her'." Jason said through clenched teeth.

"Would you prefer the alternative then?" Barbara cut in. "The one where we tell the press that she's sick because she's pregnant with Jason Todd's, a man who's supposed to be dead's, baby?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't have to spare that much detail..." Jason said, quieter. "I don't want anyone besides all of us to know she's pregnant."

"Which is what we're trying to accomplish here, Jason." Dick sighed. "I'm not even saying you need to make a production out of it so everyone is aware that you're leaving with her. I'm just saying that when it's obvious to you that she needs to get out of there, you get her out. If you're spotted, then fine, that's the story we'll go with, if not, even better, we won't have to see it in the headlines tomorrow." Jason sucked some air through his teeth, nodding in agreement. "Good. How're you feeling right now, Cass?"

"A little dizzy." Cass was already in the middle of sitting down on the bed. Jason pushed past everyone to sit next to her.

"Babs and I will head down with Sarah." Dick said. "I bet the press is getting antsy and Bruce is wondering where we are." Barbara nodded and started to follow him out. "I'll make sure Bruce knows what's going on, too." They were out the door after he finished his thought.

"I told you I had a bad feeling about tonight." Jason whispered, hugging Cass close.

"I know you did. I was hoping we could have some fun tonight too." She said.

"You can still have fun." Stephanie piped up. "It'll just have to be in between the nausea and lightheadedness."

"We should probably get down there too, Steph." Tim said, checking his watch.

"I thought the plan was to have someone with her at all times?" Jason looked up at the two of them.

"I know, I was thinking of having Steph rush to her when she got down there. That way it seems less like we're trying to protect her, and more like they haven't seen each other and Steph can do what she does best and talk for Cass." Tim said. Stephanie stuck her tongue out at him.

"You just have it all figured out, don'cha?" She said, taking him by the arm. "Fine, that'll work I suppose. Let's get going, Mr. Drake." They started to head out and she turned to Cass. "Only come down when you're feeling a hundred percent, okay?"

"Okay." Cass said and they were out the door. "I'm feeling a little better now, actually."

"Let's just leave." Jason said, suddenly. "There are other entrances to the Cave, other than the clock. We'll change clothes, get the bike, and go home."

"Jason..." Cass turned to him.

"I'm serious, forget the press. You don't have to impress them." He said, furrowing his brow at her.

"It's not about the press, Jay, and you know that." She said quietly.

"Don't pull out the 'Jay' on me. You need to rest, you know that very well." He shook his head at her.

"I'm here for Bruce, and for everyone else." She said, rubbing her hand over his. "I might agree with you if I had been sick before we left, or when we first got here, but Stephanie and Barbara worked hard to make me look nice." Jason pulled back to look at her, like he just noticed she was put together. He looked her up and down a second before the realization of what she was supposed to be set in.

"You stinker." He grinned at her. "This jacket even looks like mine."

"I've seen it enough to recognize it." She grinned back.

"They even put red lipstick on you. They know how to torture me, although." His eyes flitted to her breasts. "I think that dress is a little low cut."

"It's strapless." She said, pulling the jacket aside to show him.

"Fantastic." He sighed. "It really shows off how much your boobs have grown, you actually have cleavage. You've never had cleavage."

"I know, I noticed." She said, standing up. "I should go downstairs, now. Get the press out of the way while I'm feeling good."

"Okay, I'll sneak down there too." He stood next to her. "I don't have to make an entrance, since they don't know who I am. I'll go in a side door and keep an eye out for you." Cass smiled at him before they both made their way down the hall, she took the main stairs, while he left to find a second set that would take him around the press.

As soon as she walked down the stairs the flashing bulbs of cameras blinded her. A few reporters rushed to her as she made her way down, already asking about her dress. She mentioned Julia's like Stephanie told her to do countless times. That's when Stephanie all but tackled her.

"Cass! There you are. Bruce is going to make his big speech soon, you need to get inside." She took her by the hand waving off a few reporters who were asking what their theme for the night was.

"I thought Bruce was going to wait?" Cass asked when they made it more into the crowd, away from the reporters.

"We figured when you got downstairs would be the best time." Stephanie answered her, pushing her way past the masked socialites. "That way, Bruce doesn't delay and we know you're okay." They found Damian waiting for them near the stage the band was set to play on, and where Bruce would welcome everyone.

"How are you feeling, Cain?" He asked when they were close enough that he could speak quietly.

"I'm fine right now." She said, smiling at him.

"Where's Bruce?" As Stephanie asked, a hush went through the crowd and Bruce made his way on stage with Tim and Dick not far behind. Damian took Cass by the arm and escorted her on stage as well. Stephanie watched the two of them, looking unsure about the whole thing. Cameras flashed again as Bruce put on his best 'winning smile' and began to speak. He thanked everyone for coming and welcomed them to another annual Wayne Halloween Gala. There was some light applause and Cass started to feel the bright lights getting to her. Bruce started listing all of the charities that would be receiving donations from the night's proceeds and she felt her knees shaking a little bit, shifting her weight. Damian still had her by the arm and squeezed it, trying to convey that it was almost over, then she could sit down. Bruce thanked everyone again and told them to enjoy their evening, as they did at all of the other Wayne sponsored events, and it was over. Cass was taking deep breaths again by this point and Damian was quick to get her off stage, with Dick and Tim not far behind.

"You looked great up there, Cass." Stephanie said, helping the boys lead her to a spot she could sit next to Barbara. Sarah was sitting behind her at a table, entertaining herself with some crayons and coloring books.

"I could tell you were starting to lose it, but I don't think the average observer would think there was anything wrong with you." Barbara said. The band started to play as Alfred appeared beside them.

"Champagne, Miss Cassandra?" He said with a small wink. Whenever Alfred offered any of them 'champagne' it usually meant ginger ale. Something started long ago when Bruce wanted to appear to be drinking, but keep his head for when he had to go on patrol later in the night. And there was no way Alfred would actually offer her alcohol, knowing she was pregnant.

"Yes, thank you, Alfred." Cass took the glass from him and drank it, the ginger ale was soothing to her stomach. A wayward reporter pressed their way through the crowd and looked shocked when he found all of them together.

"Aaaah, the Wayne children, all together." He said, already pulling out a tape recorder and a notebook. "You all left the stage so fast, I wondered if something was wrong."

"I wanted to get back and make sure Barbara was doing okay." Dick said, smiling at the guy. "She's close to her due date and I didn't want to leave her alone with our daughter too long."

"I see." The reporter nodded, making a small note in his book. He turned his attention to Cass, who was finishing off her ginger ale. "Cassandra Wayne." He grinned widely. "No one has seen much of you at these, we were all starting to wonder if you were out having your own fun."

"You could say that." Cass said, setting her glass on the table behind them.

"Cass does a lot of traveling." Tim cut in, before the reporter could ask her to elaborate.

"Just like Bruce Wayne then." The reporter jotted down some notes. "He was gone for years on some kind of trip."

"Yeah, just like that." Tim nodded. Before the reporter could ask another question, a man, probably Cass' age cut through them, offering her his hand.

"May I have a dance?" He asked, a hint of smugness in his voice. It was obvious to everyone why he asked her now. He wanted the reporter to get a good look at him, he wanted his fifteen minutes of fame. Cass smirked at him and took his offer.

There were already quite a few couples on the dancefloor, he lead her to an empty spot and started up with a waltz. His eyes focused not on hers, but quite a bit southward.

"Have you had work done?" He asked. This was actually a common question among the rich, she knew this. It didn't mean she didn't entertain the thought of knocking him out where he stood though.

"No, I haven't." She said, maintaining her cool disposition.

"Oh, well good for you." He said, smirking at her. She started to feel sick, not from any kind of morning sickness, this was her usual reaction to being stared at like this. Being able to read him and his every intention so well left a bad taste in her mouth. The song ended and he kept her on the dance floor, now the sickness from him was turning into actual sickness. She felt a hand on her shoulder before she could try and excuse herself.

"Excuse me, I'd like to cut in." Jason's voice came from behind her and she felt relief flood her for the first time since she came downstairs.

"Wait your turn." Her current dance partner sneered. "I've only had a song with her, and I think her and I are getting along swimmingly."

"Your eyes are getting along great with her chest, Sleazeball." She could feel Jason's hand tighten on her shoulder. "I think it's time for you to run along." The guy sputtered where he stood, unsure of how to respond. He was obviously intimidated, Cass took the opportunity to turn herself to Jason, thankful that she didn't have to look at her suitor anymore. "I think she's made her choice, run along then." Jason waved him off. He watched the guy leave, keeping up a swaying motion with Cass. "You look awful." He said quietly when he was sure it was just the two of them.

"I feel awful." She said, laying her head on his chest and closing her eyes. "I was starting to think I was going to throw up on that guy."

"That would have been a story for the tabloids." Jason chuckled. "Let's get you out of here, I think you've had enough."

"Don't you want to dance to one song?" She smiled at him, tiredly. "Make getting into a tux worth it?"

"You know what?" He smiled and put a hand on her cheek. "It was worth it to see you all dressed up tonight." He pulled away from her, taking her hand. "But you're sick and tired, and we should leave." She nodded and they made their way off the dancefloor. They almost made it through the doors to leave, when the nausea hit her. She stopped dead in her tracks, breathing heavily again. Jason didn't miss a beat and lifted her off of her feet and brought her through the doors and up the stairs as fast as he could, taking her into a nearby bathroom and locking the door behind them as she bent over the toilet. "Barely made it." He sighed, leaning on the door.

"Thank you." She said, pulling back from the toilet and taking her mask off. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You wouldn't even be in this situation without me." He said, half-smiling at her.

"I know, but I prefer this situation to any other." She sat back, closing her eyes. He pulled her close to him, kissing her on the forehead.

"Let's get you comfortable." He said, picking her up again. He peeked out of the bathroom door, making sure they weren't followed upstairs, before heading back into the room that had her clothes in it. He helped her get undressed and back into the clothes she wore on the way in, laying the dress on the bed so that it could be put away. "You know, it's probably gotten a lot colder outside, you could use a jacket." Cass smirked, grabbing some tissues to wipe some of her makeup off.

"You and everyone else like that jacket."

"It looks good on you though." He said holding it up. "I like you wearing one of mine, believe me I do. But this one looks so sexy on you, cause it fits." Cass threw away the tissues and took the jacket from his hands, pulling it on. They left the room, finding the one he used to change into his tux and she laid down on the bed while he got back in his jeans and t-shirt. She opened her eyes again when she felt his hand brush her cheek. "I'm sorry, you were sleeping. I shouldn't have disturbed you." He said, quietly. She sat up and shook her head.

"No, we should go home." She yawned. "I'm getting hungry."

"You're always ready to eat something after a nap." He helped her up, wrapping an arm around her. "Especially after you've recovered from being sick." He lead them to another entrance to the Cave, in Bruce's study, and they soon found themselves at his bike. They got their helmets on and he waited until her arms were securely around him before taking off. He exited far from the manor, heading straight into the city. The lights of Gotham shone bright with the neon signs of bars advertising their halloween specials, and churches offering haunted houses and candy to kids. There were some on the streets in costumes, walking hand in hand with their parents to their next destination, probably grandparents or friends' apartments. They found their way to Park Row, Jason stopping at a hot dog place that Cass was all too familiar with.

They walked in, Leo was working the counter, wiping it down with a rag.

"Hey, Leo!" Jason called, causing the man to look up and give him a crooked grin.

"Hey there, Boy." He said, setting his rag to the side. "Here for your usual?"

"You know it, and a regular hot dog for Cass. She's feeling sick and I don't think she can handle some chili tonight." Jason put an arm on her as he said it.

"You know, I don't know why that little cutie stays with you, Boy." Leo said, shaking his head and heading into the kitchen to fix their orders.

"Don't give her any ideas!" Jason called after him. "I lure her into a false sense of security, so she sticks around!" He smirked down at Cass and she smiled back, hugging him. Leo came back to the front with their order in hand and Jason paid him, handing Cass her hotdog.

"I don't think I've ever seen you with makeup on, Sweetheart." Leo returned to wiping his counter down.

"Yeah, we went to a Halloween party tonight." Jason said through a mouthful of chili cheese dog.

"Really? Is it one I know of? There are a lot of places around here that have huge annual parties." Leo leaned forward, suddenly interested.

"Nah, none you'd know of." Jason smirked. "We left pretty early, 'cause Cass hasn't been feeling too hot."

"Oh, well." Leo shrugged. "You do what you gotta do."

"That's for sure." Jason finished off his food and turned too Cass, who was just about done. "But, I think we should be getting home." She finished off her hotdog and nodded.

"Don't be strangers now." Leo called after them as they headed to walk out the door.

"You keep making that chili of yours, and you'll never see the end of me." Jason called back as they headed out into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Tabloids and newspapers sat spread out on the coffee table in front of them. All of them sporting the same picture; Jason's back to the cameras, carrying Cass up the stairs, and a similar headline; asking who the mystery man was who 'swept the Wayne Daughter off of her feet?.' Some of the pictures were fuzzy, but they were all from the same angle, telling them that they'd been spotted leaving together and the photographers had rushed after them to get a picture.

"It still gets me that these people have nothing better to do." Jason said through gritted teeth as he thumbed through one of the articles. This one questioning whether or not Cass knew the 'mystery man' since she had never been one to show any kind of interest in potential suitors.

"They do it, because people pay for it." Dick sighed, throwing another tabloid on the pile.

"Hey, that guy that Cass danced with was interviewed in this one." Stephanie said, holding up the paper she was reading for them to see. "He says that he 'doesn't remember the guy's face, but he does remember thinking that he was getting grey pretty young.'" Jason sighed and ran his hand through his hair, his tuft of white hair clinging to his forehead stubbornly. Stephanie half-smiled at him, before continuing, "He also says that the only major thing that stuck out to him was that you were 'freakishly tall', he's guessing you were over six and a half feet."

"People always over exaggerate when they're scared or intimidated." Tim shook his head, throwing his own tabloid in the pile. "How do you think the rumors that Batman is 'over seven feet tall and as big as a bear' got started?" Everyone nodded. "That one I just read was pure gold by the way." He gestured to his discarded reading, "Said that we probably staged the whole thing and that the mystery guy was a friend of mine or Steph's."

"All this stress is going to make me go into labor." Barbara joked, she'd been ignoring the articles from the beginning. Jason looked up from his current paper and started to wonder if that was possible. Dick chuckled.

"How are you doing by the way?" He asked her.

"I felt a contraction not long ago." She shrugged. Jason almost stood up from his chair.

"You're having contractions? Doesn't that usually mean it's go time?" He felt his body going into overdrive.

"Relax, Jason." Dick smirked at him. "They're really far apart and light, she'll probably be doing this for a week before it's actually time to deliver."

"That can happen?" Jason's eyes went wide and he looked at Cass, who wasn't reading either, but just listening to the conversation.

"Yes, it happened with Sarah too." Barbara said, turning her attention to the closed bedroom door, where Sarah was napping. "Although, I didn't really recognize them as contractions then, not until it was obvious." Jason's mind wandered to Cass and how she could take serious pain and not even flinch. He'd seen her get shot, break her arm, and take plenty of hard hits and keep going without batting an eye. It was like pain was the norm for her body to be in and she shrugged it off like no big deal. He began to wonder how that was going to translate when she started going into labor or having contractions, would she even recognize that she was in pain, or what the pain meant?

"Ugh, one of us should get a bird, just so we can line the cage with these articles." Stephanie said, throwing down the last tabloid and rubbing her face. Dick pushed himself up off the couch and stretched a little.

"Anyone want some tea? I could use some right now." He asked the group. Most of them agreed, save for Cass, who wasn't drinking it, and Jason, who didn't really care for tea. "Where's your teapot?" He turned to Cass.

"It should be sitting on the stove, I haven't used it in a while." She answered him. Dick thanked her and headed into the adjoining kitchen area, finding the teapot instantly and taking the top off to fill it with water.

"You might want to use bottled water, Dick." Jason said, stopping Dick right before he turned on the faucet. "The water here tastes like shit, that's why we buy it in the first place."

"Thanks, Jason." Dick said, pausing for a second before opening the fridge. "What's this?" He asked, pulling a notecard and a Hershey Kiss out of the teapot. Jason's heart stopped when he saw it, he forgot he put it in there. This was something that had started a long time ago, back when Cass first moved in with him. It became known to him that she had a bit of a sweet tooth and loved chocolate in all forms. It started as a joke, he hid a Kiss somewhere he knew she'd find it and it grew from there. One morning, he was feeling lonely, Cass was still asleep from a long night and he was up doing casework. A thought about her entered his head and he got stuck on it, so he wrote it down and hid it along with the usual Kiss. She was so pleased to find it that he kept doing it whenever he was stuck doing casework in the morning. Some of the notes were personal, some were romantic, others were corny or silly, it depended on his mood really. Jason felt his face heat up as Dick's eyes scanned the note. "Awe, Jason." He grinned, fanning himself with the note card. "I didn't know you cared."

"That's not for you, _Dick_." Jason said, trying to hide his utter embarrassment.

"Awe, do I get the Kiss though." Dick held it up, grinning. "Since I found the prize?"

"No, those are for Cass." Dick mocked a pout and walked over to Cass, pressing the bottom of the kiss against her cheek.

"Mwwwaaaah!" He made a kissy face as he said it. "That's from Jason." He handed her the note and the kiss, chuckling to himself as he went back into the kitchen. Stephanie had perked up a long time ago, staring at the note card in Cass' hand.

"What is it? What does it say?" She asked, trying to lean forward and read it. Cass smirked at her before getting up and heading into the bedroom with the note. Stephanie turned her attention to Jason and he felt his face heat up again. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing, just, something I do." He muttered, trying not to spare too many details.

"This is a thing you do? You leave her notes and Kisses around the house?" Stephanie grinned widely. "I never pegged you for the romantic type, Jason." Cass could hear the conversation going on through the bedroom walls and found herself wondering how Sarah was able to sleep through all the talking. She turned the note over in her hands and read it aloud as quietly as she could.

"_You look so beautiful when the steam from your tea rises around your face. It makes your cheeks all rosey in the morning. And the way your lips curve with the contour of the mug. I think watching you drink tea wakes me up more than coffee ever could._" She smiled to herself and found a box that she'd been keeping all of his notes in. He had no idea that she actually kept all of them, he knew the box existed, and she told him he was welcome to look, but he never did. She unwrapped her Kiss and popped it in her mouth, crumpling the wrapping and dropping it in the trashcan on the way back out to a more desperate Stephanie and a bright red Jason.

"Cass!" Stephanie shouted at her when she closed the bedroom door. "What'd the note say? C'mon, I'm dying over here."

"You're not dying." Cass shook her head and put an arm around Jason. "And you are a very corny man."

"I speak only the truth." He said, smiling at her a little, his face still beet red. A knock came at the door before Stephanie could ask about the note again and Jason got up to answer it, thankful for the distraction. He looked through the peephole and did a double take before opening the door to Bruce and Damian. Everyone turned to them, the conversation before lost. "Hey, Bruce. What are you doing out here?" Jason said, not even bothering to ask how Bruce knew the address off his safe house in the first place.

"I have something I wanted to discuss with you, Jason." He said, nodding to everyone in the livingroom. Damian scowled at the pile of tabloids and newspapers on the coffee table.

"You people were actually reading this garbage?"

"We wanted to know what they had to say." Tim shrugged. "I'm not saying we enjoyed it, but we needed to know." The teapot whistling brought Damian's attention off of the tabloids and focused him on Dick.

"Would either of you like some tea?" Dick asked, reaching into Jason's cabinets for some mugs, of which he only had two, one for him, one for Cass. "Or, maybe not."

"We're not used to entertaining, okay?" Jason said, closing and locking the front door. Bruce and Damian declined the tea and most everyone else decided then that they didn't need any after all. Dick sighed and poured himself his own mug. Bruce turned to Jason, he was quick to cut to the chase.

"I heard that the Red Hood made an appearance the other night." Everyone was quiet, waiting to see where this was going.

"Yeah, there was a fire a block over." Jason gestured in the direction the fire had been.

"I know, we all found out about it too late." Bruce put his hands behind his back. "By the time Damian and I showed up, firefighters had it under control."

"Good, but they sure took their sweet time getting there." Jason couldn't hide a scowl.

"That's what I heard." Bruce nodded.

"Why are you bringing this up, Bruce?" Jason folded his arms, he knew there was a reason. Bruce was working up to it.

"Well, I wanted to tell you that you put your life in danger, risked exposure and arrest from the police, and left Cassandra alone in this place when she's been unusually weak." Everyone tensed, Jason opened his mouth, but Bruce continued. "But, despite all of that, you being there saved a lot of people. There is a woman who swore up and down to me, or rather, to a reporter looking for news on the vigilante who was at the fire, that you're the reason her and her son are alive today." Jason found his mouth still hanging open, he had a million things to say, but only one found it's way to his lips.

"The baby was okay?" He felt a shadow lift off of him as he said it. "I thought it was a gonner."

"Apparently, there were some rough patches with him, but he made it through and he's fine." Bruce studied Jason. "And it's completely thanks to you." Jason grinned, but tried to maintain his composure, rather than reverting back to how he used to be as Robin, when any amount of praise from Bruce made him giddy.

"I wasn't about to leave them alone." He said, clearing his throat. "Is there another reason you brought all of this up though, other than to tell me all of this?"

"Yes, I've been considering how much you've changed, or rather, how you seem to be reverting back to your old self, the boy I found in Crime Alley, who wanted nothing more than to be Robin." Bruce continued. "I don't know if it was all because of Cassandra's influence on you, or your own decision to put the killing behind you, but that's not what I'm concerned about at the moment." He went back to studying Jason for any kind of reaction. "What I want to know, right now, is what you want. Concerning the Red Hood and his place among Batman and his people. Are you happy with the way it is now? Or do you want to be included, maybe even a member of Batman Inc., like everyone else in this room?"

Jason's mouth hung open again for a second, he was prepared to be lectured, told not to operate again in Gotham, but not extended the chance to work alongside these people, his family, again. "I..." He tried to choose his words carefully, glancing at Cass for a moment. She was beaming at him, something in her eyes telling him it was okay to say what was on his mind. "I just want you guys to trust me again."

"You know my trust is hard to regain when it's been lost, Jason." Bruce said with a slight nod. "You'd be starting back at square one, under my direction and my rules. So I can keep an eye on you."

"I suppose I can live with that." Jason shrugged. It was going to take some getting used to, being with Bruce again, but he figured he could do it. He was reminded of the conversation he had with Tim, when he told him to play by the rules. This was playing by Bruce's rules, being treated like a sidekick for a while until he decided you were capable on your own.

"Good to hear. I expect to see you on patrol with Damian and me tonight." Bruce said. "And I would prefer it if you left your gun at home."

Jason's thigh felt empty without the usual weight of the gun and its holster there, but he promised he would leave it at home. He was pretty low on ammo anyway and was going to have to ration himself when the time came to use it again. He paced around the rooftop they were supposed to meet on until the sound of Batman's heavy cape flitted behind him. He turned, the flying Batmobile floated silently ten feet over their heads. Damian was standing next to Bruce, in his own Robin gear. Jason couldn't help but smirk at the two of them, Damian recently hit a growth spurt and had passed up Bruce in height. The thought of a Robin being taller than Batman was hilarious, even though Jason himself was a good couple of inches taller than Bruce by now. He couldn't help but remember the last time the Red Hood and Batman stood face to face though, they were enemies then, and it was Dick under the cowl.

"So, what's on the agenda tonight?" He asked, trying not to think of that time, all those years ago.

"Routine patrol." Bruce answered him, hitting a button on his belt and causing the Batmobile to sink to a safe spot in the alley next to them, in sleep mode.

"Ah, you weren't kidding when you said I'd be back to square one." Jason smirked under his helmet. Something at the back of his head wanted to argue. To remind Bruce that he'd been doing this for years and he was way beyond needing to be watched on routine patrol, but he was playing the game tonight. It wasn't about what he knew he was capable of, it was what Bruce trusted him to do. And his trust was obviously minimal.

They took off in a random direction, Bruce and Damian had comms in their ears, listening to police reports. Jason stayed in his head the whole time, going through the motions of following them. He had to remind himself that there was no way Bruce would trust him as easily as Cass did. She was a special case herself, her ability to read people's every intentions made it easier for her to tell what his motivations were and subsequently made it easier for her to trust him. He silently thanked her for that because without her trust and support he wouldn't have gotten this far with getting himself back. He almost ran into Bruce's back when he and Damian stopped dead in their tracks, listening to the chatter in their comms.

"Armed robbery at a convenience store." Damian said. "That's only a street over from us, Father."

They took off before Jason could ask where 'that' was. He followed quickly behind, feeling like some kind of third wheel to the Batman and Robin partnership. He felt like this a couple of times back when he was Robin, if Dick came around he was the golden boy and Bruce treated him as such. Now Damian was his longtime partner and son, and he was used to the way they operated. They all dropped in on the convenience store, four armed men in ski masks were making the elderly couple empty the safe in the back. Bruce hung back for a second, letting the men notice him, he was going for the fear factor, and assessing the situation. Jason couldn't help but notice that all of these men had the safeties still on their pistols and couldn't help but laugh out loud at them. A couple of them reeled a little from the sound of it, but one of them had the balls to actually address him.

"What are you laughing about, huh?" He asked, his voice rising in pitch as he said it. Jason decided there was no danger in this situation and rushed them without a second glance to Bruce. Damian's voice rang clear in his ears.

"What are you doing?" One of the men tried to fire, but the safety prevented the bullet from flying.

"It's jammed!" He shouted right before Jason's fist found his stomach, knocking the air out of him. He felt Damian move behind him and he took out the other two while Jason grabbed the last one by the shirt, taking the gun from his hands.

"You left the safety on, dumbass." Was all he said before the front of his helmet and the guy's forehead met properly, knocking him out instantly. Jason turned back to Bruce, who had stood by the whole time and Damian, who was looking over the guns now.

"They left the safety on." He muttered to himself.

"You still need to work on being observant, Robin." Bruce said. "That small detail can be the difference between life and death." Jason took the opportunity to pop the magazine out of one of the guns, inspecting the ammo, 9mm perfect. He needed the new supply, he pulled the clip out and turned to see Bruce glaring at him.

"What? Ammo is expensive." He said, pocketing the clip.

"Maybe you should stop using the gun if you can't afford it then." Bruce said, pulling some zip tie cuffs out to tie their perps up with. Jason went on to pick up the next gun, taking out the magazine and clip again, pocketing more ammo and discarding the magazine.

"I like to think of it as taking away tools the criminals were going to use to hurt people, and using it to hurt the criminals." He said, moving onto the third gun.

"Red Hood." Bruce said, stopping him. "I would appreciate it if you stopped." Jason sighed and set the gun back where he found it.

"Fine, you're the boss." They left as they heard the sirens pull up, standing on another rooftop and watching their guys get taken in. Bruce didn't say anything about the ammo Jason already pocketed, but turned to continue patrol. The rest of the night was the same, they stopped a couple of back alley assaults and another armed robbery. Jason found himself yawning beneath the helmet, he wasn't used to this late night stuff anymore.

"I have another job to do tonight." Bruce said, noticing his exhaustion. "There's a small street gang rising in power. I know that their bookkeeper is supposed to be meeting with the leaders tonight, and I want to get ahold of him."

"Not the leaders themselves?" Jason asked.

"We'll get to them eventually, at the moment, I want to put the scare in their support, bring their foundation down from the guy who controls the purse strings." Bruce said. "I want to see if they get the message and stop on their own, or if I'm going to have to get rough with them." Bruce had a lot more patience for these kinds of people than Jason did. He usually just took the leaders out the second he learned about their operations. Bruce liked to give them the chance to change their minds, of course, that always meant he was disappointed when he did have to go after the leaders. Bruce gave Damian and Jason clear instructions on who they were looking for and sent them to their separate rooftops, handing Jason a handheld device that acted similarly to their comms, so he could keep in contact.

Jason sat on his perch, yawning some more. His mind wandered to what patrol was normally like for him, Cass at his side. When they had to do steakouts he had the luxury of being able to cuddle her all night. He would take off his helmet, and they'd bring soup or something hot with them to get them through the colder nights of waiting for their target. He could almost feel her warmth beside him thinking about it. Voices over his comm brought him back to reality and he snapped back alert.

"This one is all yours, Jason." Bruce said.

"What? Are you sure." Jason stood from his spot, seeing their target moving down the alley in front of him.

"Yes, now hurry up, before he's out of sight." Jason shoved the comm in his pocket and announced his presence to the bookkeeper with the sound of his boots hitting the pavement. The guy turned and his eyes went wide, his face losing all color when he realized who stood before him.

"T-the Red h-Hood." He stammered, his legs shaking under him. Jason took a step closer to him and they gave out, his knees hitting the pavement hard. "D-don't kill me. They forced me to work for them. I-I have a family to care for. I didn't have a choice." Jason walked over to the man, and pulled him up by the arm, looking him in the eye.

"Are you going to get your family out of here?" He said, quietly.

"I-I don't have the money to run." Tears started falling from his eyes. "Please don't kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you, I'm going to give you a way out." Jason smirked beneath his helmet, knowing the guy couldn't see it. "These guys trust you with their money, right?"

"Y-yes. They figured they'd keep me honest by threatening my family." The man sniffled.

"Then we're going to teach them that leading through fear only leads to ruin." Jason smirked wider. "You are going to take that money, and get the hell out of Gotham, as fast as you can. Don't stay with relatives, don't leave any kind of a credit trail, cash only."

"When will it be okay to come back?" The man asked him, gaining a little bit of his composure back.

"That's up to you I suppose." Jason shrugged. "We might get the people threatening you in jail, but who knows who they'd send to find you, or if they'd come looking for you. You might be better off to just forget about everything you have in Gotham, and just start a new life somewhere else." The man nodded and thanked Jason over and over before taking his leave. He heard Bruce and Damian drop down behind him and spoke without turning around. "I know you probably didn't like that I told him to do that, Bruce, but he needs to be the one to protect his family."

"Oracle can make new identities for them, I could give them some money to start over." Bruce said.

"Yeah, you could do that." Jason turned to him now, "And he'll accept it, gladly. But, I gave him the idea he needed to do all of that himself, to save his own family without relying on anyone else." Bruce listened to him silently. "Sometimes a man needs to be a man, and not rely on others to bail him out."

"There is nothing wrong with asking for help though, Jason. I've learned that over the years." Bruce's voice was quiet and even.

"I know." Jason said, turning to leave Bruce and Damian behind. "And I know who I want at my back when the time comes."


	11. Chapter 11

Loud knocking on the door brought Jason out of a deep sleep. He rubbed his face, taking a moment to get some caked on drool off before turning to roll off the bed. He had a long night with Bruce and Damian and wasn't really looking forward to finding out who was currently trying to break his door down. He went through the motions of actually putting on a pair of boxers before heading to answer it. Placing his eye next to the peephole, he saw Dick standing outside with Sarah in his arms.

"Dick? What are you doing here? It's ten thirty, and I was out until six this morning." Jason opened the door, yawning widely.

"I know, and I'm sorry." Dick said. "But, Babs is in labor and Tim and Steph are both working and I would really appreciate you and Cass watching Sarah."

"What? Barbie is finally going to have the baby?" Jason woke up a little with the news.

"Yeah, the contractions aren't near close enough to take her, but her water broke and that's an indication that we need to get to the hospital fast." Dick was already handing Sarah off to Jason as he said it.

"Right, yeah." Jason took her. "Do you want us to come up there at any point? So we can meet the newest Grayson and Sarah can meet her sister?"

"I'll call you when it gets to that point, Jason. We might be there awhile." Dick said, turning to leave. Jason closed the door behind him, looking down at Sarah in his arms.

"Goo' morning, Uncle Jason." She said, cheerfully. Jason yawned widely, walking back towards his bedroom.

"Good morning, Kiddo. It started a little early for me though." He found his way to Cass' side, running a hand over her cheek. She opened her eyes and yawned. "I'm sorry to wake you up, Baby Bat." He said, quietly. "But, we have company." Cass turned her head to look in his arms and get a better look.

"Goo' morning, Aunt Cass." Sarah said, wiggling in Jason's arms.

"Hi, Sarah." Cass yawned. "To what do we owe the visit?"

"Barbie is in labor." Jason said, setting Sarah down. She leaned on the bed, grinning at Cass.

"Is she really?" Cass perked up, rubbing some sleep out of her eyes.

"Yep, Dick brought Sarah over and headed for the hospital." Jason smiled at her. "He said it would be a while though, so we have Sarah until then."

"That's exciting, isn't it Sarah?" Cass turned to her, grinning. "You're going to be a big sister soon."

"But, but, I dun wanna be big." Sarah said, looking just a little upset, "I wanna be li'le."

"You have to be big at some point." Cass said, putting a hand on her cheek. "You can't be little forever."

"Why not?" Sarah asked, big blue eyes looking deep into Cass'.

"Because that's just how it goes." Cass sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her for cover and putting Sarah on her lap. "Being big is fun, you get to do all kinds of things that you can't do when you're little."

"Like, stay up late?" She asked, looking at Cass wide eyed.

"Yes, but not yet. You are still little now, you have to wait until you're bigger." She answered, smiling at her. Sarah seemed satisfied with the answer and started looking around the room. Her eyes resting on the nightstand next to Jason's side of the bed.

"What's that?" She asked pointing. Jason followed her finger and his heart leapt when he saw his gun laying there from last night.

"That, uh, that is not for little kids." He picked it up quickly and took it to the closet, emptying it of any ammo and setting the safety before putting it in the holster and closing the closet door.

"So, I can see it when I'm big?" She asked.

"Uh- well." Jason started, unsure of what to tell her.

"That isn't a toy, Sarah." Cass cut in, a hint of sternness in her voice. Sarah recognized it immediately and turned to listen to her. "Only Uncle Jason and I are allowed to use that, do you understand?"

"Yes, Aunt Cass." Sarah said nodding. Jason couldn't help but feel like all of his predictions of Cass being a good mother were coming true. Of course, that was leaving him on the sidelines, unable to figure out how to handle a two year-old.

"How about you and Uncle Jason go play in the living room?" Cass said, addressing Jason more than she was addressing Sarah. "So that I can get dressed."

"Right, yeah. C'mon Sarah." Jason picked her up off of Cass' lap and took her out into their living room, closing the bedroom door behind him. He set Sarah on the floor and started looking around the safe house, trying to figure out what needed to be put out of her reach and what was okay to keep out. Sarah toddled around, following him while he walked. He stopped next to the kitchen and she ran into his leg, falling back on her butt. "You alright, Kiddo?" He stooped down next to her.

"I'm okay." She pushed herself off the floor. Cass came out of the bedroom, stretching and dressed, and walked over to them.

"So, what are we going to do today?" She asked the two of them, smiling.

"I'm hungry." Sarah said.

"What do we have that we can feed her?" Jason straightened himself up and started looking through the cabinets.

"She can eat whatever we can eat, Jason." Cass chuckled.

"Well, it's breakfast time for you and I." He said, pulling out a box of Lucky Charms.

"I want that!" Sarah pointed to the box. "I like the mashmallows." Cass smirked at Jason.

"I guess you have to share your marshmallows." She teased.

"Fiiiiine." Jason pulled a couple of bowls out of the cabinet and started pouring cereal for him and Sarah. "What do you want, Baby Bat?"

"I'll have a bowl of that too, I don't really care." Cass shrugged, making her way over to the fridge for the milk. Jason pulled out another bowl and Cass filled her own with milk and took Sarah's over to the coffee table, grabbing spoons for them along the way. Jason poured some milk into his own bowl, joining Cass on the couch, where the two of them ate while Sarah picked all the marshmallows out of her cereal.

"You need to eat more than the marshmallows, Kiddo." Jason chuckled, taking a bite of his cereal.

"But, the cereal is yucky." She frowned at Jason. "I like the mashmallows."

"That part is what's good for you though." Jason said, knowing all too well that the marshmallows were indeed the best part.

"But it tastes bad." Sarah abandoned her cereal and started walking around in circles in front of them. Jason drank the milk from his bowl and set it down, watching her.

"You are just a ball of energy, aren't you?" He leaned back, yawning again and putting his arm around Cass. She had finished her cereal as well and leaned on him. Sarah stopped in her tracks to study the two of them.

"You love eachodder?" She asked suddenly, leaning on the coffee table. Jason felt his face heat up, but Cass was quick to answer.

"Of course we do." She said, snuggling closer into him. He felt warmth grow in his chest hearing her say it.

"Like Mommy and Daddy?" She leaned on her hands. Jason started thinking about how he always thought of them as Dick and Barbie. He knew they were parents, obviously, but it never hit him that they were also 'Mommy and Daddy'. Of all the roles they've taken for themselves over the years; Robin and Batgirl, Nightwing and Oracle, the commissioner's daughter and the last of the flying Graysons, husband and wife; Mommy and Daddy was their newest role. And they were currently at the hospital delivering another child that was going to call them that. The idea that, in just a few short months, he would have one of his own, someone who he would be a 'Daddy' to, hit him. Cass was talking to Sarah, answering her barrage of questions, she was going to be someone's Mommy. It was more than the fact that they were going to have a child to take care of, they were going to follow in Dick and Barbara's footsteps and take on the role of Mommy and Daddy.

Sarah yawned widely and Cass picked her up, taking her into their bedroom to put her down for her afternoon nap. Jason picked up all the bowls and put them in the sink, thinking about how this was going to be their norm at some point. There were going to be three sets of dishes to clean, three people in the house at all times. Cass closed the bedroom door behind her and immediately found herself next to him.

"You've been thinking about the baby a lot today." She said, wrapping her arms around him.

"How can I not?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "In a few months, we'll be where Dick and Barbie are right now, at the hospital. And if everything goes well, we'll have our own little one like Sarah. One who will only know us as 'Mommy and Daddy', not as anything else."

"Exactly." She smiled. "Our pasts, who we used to be, won't matter. The only thing it will care about is that we love it."

"And we will." He squeezed her. "It will never question how much we love it. Because we're going to give it all the love we're capable of."

* * *

"What time is she supposed to go to bed?" Jason checked his watch. They had finished dinner and Cass was on the floor playing with Sarah. "I didn't think Dick and Barbie would be at the hospital this long."

"Barbara called me while you were napping earlier." She looked up at him. "She said that they had to induce her, because she wasn't quite ready and now it's a waiting game."

"This kid of theirs just isn't ready to come into the world, is she?" Jason sighed. "We don't have a bed for her here." He gestured to Sarah. "And she's been bored all day. Dick should have brought some toys over with him."

"He was in a hurry." Cass said quietly. "You would have been the same if it were me."

"Heh, if it were you, I don't know what I'd forget." Jason chuckled. "I have this fear that it's going to turn out like one of those corny movies where the guy is so nervous that he forgets his wife, and she ends up taking a cab to the hospital."

"You won't let that happen." She shook her head. "You would never leave me behind."

"I hope so." He sighed. "You know how I get whenever there's a serious situation going on. I get tunnel vision."

"How about this? When I start going into labor, I'll grab your hand so you can't forget me." She smirked at him. He considered it for a second before nodding.

"That would be perfect actually." His phone rang in his pocket and he was quick to pull it out. Dick, great.

"Hey, Jason." He said over the murmur of hospital speakers.

"Hey there, Dick. What's the news?" Jason looked down at Sarah, who was falling asleep in Cass' arms.

"They're getting the room ready for Babs to start pushing, so if you wanted to head down here, now would be the time."

"The only problem, Dick, is that we don't have a car to drive Sarah in, let alone a car seat." Jason said, suddenly remembering that fact himself.

"Call Tim, he and Steph have a carseat 'cause they babysit pretty often." Dick sighed. "I gotta get in there, Jason, I'll see you." The phone clicked and Jason switched the call over to Tim. It rang a few times before he answered, sounding like he had been woken up.

"Jason?" He asked.

"You're in bed early, Timmy, it's only 10:30." Jason drummed his fingers against the phone.

"I was up early, Jason. Give me some slack." He yawned into the phone.

"Well wake up, Barbie is having the baby."

"What?! Really? We had no idea!" Jason heard rummaging on the other end of the phone, "Steph, wake up, Barbara is having the baby."

"What?!" Stephanie's voice sounded.

"Yeah, Jason is on the other end. Dick must have been too busy to call. We'll meet everyone at the hospital."

"Tim! Tim! Hold on!" Jason shouted into the phone, remembering why he called Tim in the first place. "I called you because Cass and I have Sarah, and we don't have a car seat... or a car."

"Really?" Tim asked. "I guess they didn't want Sarah waiting around at the hospital with them." He told Stephanie that they'd have to stop and pick Jason and Cass up before turning back to the phone. "We'll be there in like, fifteen minutes, we need to get dressed." Jason couldn't help but smirk.

"Bow chicka wow wow." He sang into the phone.

"It's nothing like that, Jason, jeeze." Tim sighed, Jason could almost hear him blush. The phone clicked and Jason chuckled to himself, looking down at Cass and Sarah.

"They'll be here soon." he said. Cass looked down at Sarah in her arms and tried to gently wake her.

"Sarah." She said smoothly. "We have to go to the hospital, meet your little sister." She didn't even stir.

"I find it funny that she's out like this when all she wanted earlier was to be a big kid and stay up late." Jason held out a hand to help Cass up off the floor.

"She can't help it though." She took Sarah over to the couch and laid her down. "Because she is still little, no matter what she likes to think."

"She might as well enjoy it too." He nodded. "Because she's got a little sister on the way, and two younger 'cousins' that are going to be coming too. She's gonna be the big one the rest of her life with them around." He walked over into the kitchen to rinse off their dishes, occupy his time. She leaned on the counter, watching him. "You know." He placed the last of the dishes to dry. "You've been so great with Sarah today, and I've just been fumbling around."

"No you haven't." She cut off his thought.

"I really have though." He shook his head at her, drying his hands. "You know exactly what to say to her to get her to calm down."

"That's from watching Barbara." She put her head in her hands.

"I think it's natural for you." He smiled. "I, on the other hand, am probably going to suck as a parent." She came around the counter to pull him into a hug.

"No you won't." Her voice was quiet. "It'll be different when it's your child. You'll know its personality better, and you'll know what works."

"I hope so." He wrapped his arms around her in turn. "Is it just wishful thinking to hope the kid goes easy on me?" A knock at the door brought them out of their conversation and Jason left her to answer it.

"Are you two ready?" Stephanie asked, poking her head in. "I wanna go."

"I just need to grab Sarah." Cass said, already in the process of picking her up off the couch.

"She's out isn't she?" Tim chuckled. "She always crashes at like, nine." They started heading down the stairs, Jason making sure to lock the front door behind him. Stephanie helped Cass get Sarah into their car seat and the two girls decided to sit in the back, Jason taking up shotgun.

The ride to the hospital took them about ten minutes. They all talked on the way, wondering what Dick and Barbara were going to name this daughter. The two of them had a name picked out, back when they found out it was going to be a girl, but they kept it to themselves to surprise everyone with. Tim parked the car and they all found themselves in the maternity ward of the hospital, signing in. They took turns passing Sarah around, she remained fast asleep through the whole car ride and it seemed that nothing in the world could wake her up. That was, until the sound of Dick's voice started her from sleep. The second he saw everyone gathered in the waiting room he burst into a grin and announced to them.

"Haley Joanne Grayson was born at eleven-o-one P.M. on November eleventh." Everyone said their congratulations.

"That's a lot of 'elevens' Dick." Tim chuckled. "Barbara should have held off ten more minutes, she could have been born at eleven:eleven on eleven/eleven."

"I know right?" Dick laughed. "Babs was ready to get it over with though, we've been here a solid twelve hours." He reached out to take Sarah out of Cass' arms, she was half awake and looking around, confused. "Are you ready to meet your little sister Haley?" The meaning of the name hit Jason suddenly and he couldn't help himself.

"You named your daughter after a circus, Dick?"

"That's right." Tim realized it too. "Haly's Circus."

"Yeah, we're spelling it differently though." Dick said, grinning at them. "Are you going to make fun of my choice in names, or are you going to come back here and see her?" No one had any argument and they all followed Dick back to Barbara's room. She looked tired when they entered, but brightened up when she saw everyone come in with Dick, a small bundle cradled in her arms. Dick immediately brought Sarah over to her and they leaned the sisters towards each other.

"I's a baby." Sarah rubbed her eyes, but remained fascinated by the newborn.

"It's your little sister." Barbara said, her voice was quiet and raspy. "Her name is Haley." Sarah dug her face into Dick's shoulder, keeping one eye on her sister, but she didn't have the courage to say anymore to her. Barbara turned her attention to everyone else in the room, "Would any of you like to hold her?" Stephanie was quick to volunteer, leaning over Barbara to take Haley from her arms. She brought her over to Tim and he looked at her from over Stephanie's shoulder.

"She's beautiful, Barbara." Stephanie cooed, rocking her body back and forth. "And she's so tiny, how much does she weigh?"

"Six pounds and five ounces." Barbara answered, looking completely relaxed watching Haley get passed around. Stephanie handed Haley off to Tim.

"You sure made your parents wait for you." He said, smiling at her.

"That's for sure." Barbara sighed. "I was beginning to worry about Sarah being over with Jason and Cass. I know they don't have anything for her over there."

"Sorry about that." Jason mumbled. He didn't like that, with all the stress she was going through waiting to deliver the baby, she still stressed about how he and Cass couldn't properly accommodate their other daughter.

"It's fine, Jason." Dick shrugged. "You're not required to be prepared to have one of our kids at all times. I realize I surprised you with her this morning." He smiled at Jason and Cass. "She's still breathing and she doesn't have any visible injuries, so I say you did fine with what you had."

"We can take her tonight, if you want to stay here with Barbara, Dick." Tim said, walking over to Cass to hand Haley off.

"That would be great, thanks, Tim." Dick sighed with relief. Cass had Haley securely in her arms and Jason leaned over her to get a better look. She was awake, blinking, and unsure of what this strange new world around her was. Her face started to contort a little, like she was considering crying, but stopped when Cass adjusted her a little in her arms.

"Something was making her uncomfortable." She said, her eyes remained glued to Haley.

"You're going to be great as a mom." Jason thought he said his thoughts aloud, but realized it was Barbara that said it. "How does it feel, Cass? You're going to have one of those in a few months."

"It feels..." Cass paused to consider it for a second, looking around the room and stopping dead when she got to Jason. She smiled and looked back down at Haley in her arms. "It feels amazing." Haley's eyes started to droop closed. "I can't wait." Cass turned and handed her to Jason. He took her in his arms, trying to hold her like everyone else had. She was so small, there wasn't enough of her that he could hold her in both arms. When he finally settled on the best way to hold her, he realized why Cass had stared at her so intently. His mind wasn't on the moment he was in, but it landed somewhere in the future. When the baby in his arms would be his own, and Cass would be the one sitting in the hospital bed and telling everyone all about their adventure that day. It was like a fantasy that felt so far away, but he had to remind himself that it was going to be his reality at some point.

He came out of his head, realizing that Tim and Stephanie were taking Sarah from Dick and talking about leaving so everyone could get some much needed sleep. Dick came and took Haley from Jason's arms and gave him a small wink. He knew Jason wasn't fixated on his daughter because he thought she was that adorable. He knew he was thinking about himself and Cass, and Dick thought that was perfectly okay. The two of them shared a look of understanding, Jason silently congratulating Dick for being a father, and Dick silently reassuring Jason that he was doing alright.


	12. Chapter 12

"Jason, I have another assignment for you tonight." Bruce said as he approached Jason on their usual rooftop.

"Really? Letting me go off on my own?" Jason asked, hoping that after nearly a month of being a sidekick, that he was being promoted to better things.

"Not entirely." Bruce shook his head. "I want you to help Batgirl on a stakeout."

"Batgirl?" Jason asked blinking in confusion.

"Yeah, Batgirl." Damian echoed. "Her name is Nell Little, she's been Batgirl for almost a year now."

"Oh, yeah." Jason said, suddenly remembering. "I've never met her."

"The only thing I need you to realize when you're with her is that she doesn't know our identities." Bruce instructed.

"Riiiight." Jason's voice creaked. "The question is, am I babysitting her, or is she babysitting me?"

"No one is babysitting anyone." Bruce said, turning to leave. "This is an important stakeout and I want you both on your A game."

"Okay, okay." Jason held up his hands. "By the way, Bruce." He called after him before he got in the Batmobile. "What time do you want Cass and I over for dinner tomorrow? Thanksgiving, remember?"

"Alfred said dinner would be done around five." Bruce said, situating himself in the car, Damian strapping himself in next to him. "So it's up to you when you want to come. Dick and Barbara will be there all day, knowing them."

"Alright, I'll see what Cass wants to do tomorrow." Jason shrugged as the Batmobile closed and started to lift in the air. He pulled his phone out, the coordinates to Batgirl's location already being sent to it. "He'll openly talk about having us over for Thanksgiving, but stakeout locations are top secret." He slipped his phone back into his pocket, he knew the street. It didn't take him long to get there on his bike, the city was a blur the entire way and he couldn't help but wonder about the new Batgirl. Cass had met her, once. But she hadn't told him much about her, other than that she was working hard in her training.

He grappled to the top of the building, instantly spotting the new Batgirl perched on the other edge of the rooftop. Her uniform reminded Jason of Stephanie's look, except it was blue instead of black, and the parts where Stephanie had her signature purple were grey on this Batgirl. She sighed loudly as he approached and he couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her. All night stakeouts were the worst, alone.

"Why so blue, Chum?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood a little. She jumped and turned to him, large brown eyes instantly recognizing him. She stood up and took an immediate defensive position.

"The Red Hood? What are you doin' here?" Her voice was pretty calm, considering she obviously saw him as a threat.

"Calm down, Kid." He said, raising his hands to show he wasn't there to fight her. "Batman sent me to help you on this stakeout."

"Did he? Really?" Her tone suggested that she didn't believe a word of it.

"Really." He sighed. "Look, it's a long story to tell, but I'll give you the short version." He pointed to himself. "Good guy now, well," he considered it for a second. "again."

"Are you really?" She didn't drop her guard, or her stance, she just eyed him with a little more interest. "'Cause the last time I saw the Red Hood, I was eleven and you were showboatin' and makin' a fool o' yourself over live feed. I remember my Mama prayin' for your soul." She had an accent to her voice that he was all too familiar with. Those who had it referred to it as the "Gotham accent", those who didn't referred to it as the "Bowery accent", the name suggested where the accent originated from, the poorer parts of Gotham around the Bowery. Of course there were those who called it the "poor man's accent", Jason didn't like those people. He grew up speaking in a Gotham accent until he was adopted by Bruce, that's when he started hearing that third name it was called and tried to get rid of it. Being around someone else who had it, always caused him to slip back into it.

"Yeah, that's a time in my life that I'm not proud of." He scowled. "Look, you can distrust me all day long, but we have a target to look for, right?" She didn't move from her stance, although, she had relaxed a little when his accent became apparent. He sighed and unstrapped his gun from his thigh, checking that the safety was on before tossing it at her feet. "There, I'm unarmed." She bent over, keeping one eye on him, and picked it up.

"You're serious." She said. "I still don't trust you though."

"That's fine, it's somethin' I'm used to." He sighed, turning his back to her to watch the street below them. "Who are we lookin' for anyway." She was formal in her response, using procedural words and phrases, like Batman would. They were looking for one of the leaders of the street gang whose bookkeeper ran off with all of their money, under Jason's instruction.

"They're mad as hell and nothin' can stop them." She finished her explanation.

"Well, that's what we're here for then." Jason smirked again. He positioned himself on the roof, trying to find a comfortable spot. Batgirl tentatively sat near him, out of his range and still in a slightly defensive position. She kept his gun on the other side of her, out of his sight and immediate reach.

"So, I have a question for you then." She said after a few minutes of tense silence. "If you're a good guy now, or again, or what have you, then why are you still runnin' around as the Red Hood?"

"Well," Jason started, feeling like honesty would be his best bet in this situation. "that's a weighted question, but I'll try to answer it for you." He worked out the wording in his head before he finally figured out the best way to explain with also giving as little detail as possible. "The Red Hood has a reputation."

"For killin' people." She cut him off.

"Exactly. I don't do that anymore." He faced her, but she didn't look convinced. "Have you ever worked with Batman, when he's tryin' to get information out of someone and he's tryin' to scare the shit out of them?"

"Only all the time." She responded.

"Batman also has a reputation." Jason continued. "By now, everyone knows he doesn't kill. He'll really mess you up, but he won't kill you." Batgirl nodded at him. "But, everyone knows the Red Hood kills, and I use that to scare people." He let her consider it for a moment. "No one really _wants _to die."

"That's very true." She said, eyeing him with some interest. He popped the hinges off of his helmet and pulled it off to look at it, half as a sign of truce between the two of them, and half because he was considering the hood itself.

"This hood holds a lot of demons for me." He said quietly. He wasn't sure why he felt like telling her all of this, but it felt right. "I wore it back then for totally different reasons than I wear it now." She listened to him intently. "Let's just say that I bear the weight of my past when I wear it. And I'm willin' to do so, more as a punishment to myself than anythin'. I feel like rememberin' who the man was who used to run around in this thing keeps me from turnin' back into him." She scooted herself a little closer to him and relaxed from her defensive position ever so slightly.

"Sounds to me like you really do want to change." She said softly.

"I do, and I have, I promise." He turned to her now. "Right now, I'm trying to prove that I have, to Batman and everyone else."

"What does it matter what the boss man thinks of you?" She asked, relaxing even more than before.

"Because, well, because he's where it all started for me." Jason popped his helmet back on. "I don't require his approval, I can do without it, I'm a big boy." His mind wandered to Cass. "But I would like his trust, with more than just the hero business, I want him to trust me with... somethin' he deems important."

"Is that somethin' a someone?" She asked, a knowing grin on her face.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." He half-sang.

"Right," She sighed. "I'm not allowed to know anyone's identities yet."

"You'll learn in time." He said.

"Yeah, if this boy's club can accept a girl into their mix." She shook her head.

"There have been plenty of girls in this 'boy's club'." Jason reminded her.

"Yeah, Stephanie Brown, the Batgirl before me, she was my mentor through the bulk of my trainin', but I don't see her too much nowadays." She sighed. "Oracle is pretty cool, but she's usually busy when I go to visit, and Batwoman keeps to herself for the most part, along with the Question."

"There's another one too." His mind wandered to Cass again, the second full time Batgirl to join the ranks.

"Yeah, Black Bat, right?" She tapped her hands against her knees. "I met her once and she scared the crap outta me." Jason laughed, Cass had that effect on people sometimes. "I don't know what's going on with her though."

"Oh, she's uh..." He said, not sure if it was okay to tell her that Cass was off active duty, since she was pregnant. Batgirl pressed her finger to her ear and held up her other hand to quiet him.

"No, our target hasn't appeared yet... What?" She turned to make a face at Jason. "No, he's behaving himself, what does it matter to you, Robin?" So it was Damian on the other end. "Whatever, he's much nicer to me than you are." She stuck her tongue out and took her finger off of her ear, done with the conversation.

"Robin trouble?" Jason smirked.

"Ugh, that boy I swear I could strangle him sometimes." She made strangling motions with her hands as she said it, clenching her fingers.

"Nice to see the 'Batgirl and Robin dynamic' is still going strong." He chuckled. "Watch out though, if history repeats itself, you'll end up marrying 'that boy'."

"What?!" She shouted at him, her eyes wide.

"Well, the first Robin and Batgirl are currently married, with two children." Jason held his fingers in front of him. "The second Robin and Batgirl are very much together." He smirked beneath his helmet, knowing she couldn't see it. "And the third Robin and Batgirl are also married."

"Th-that doesn't mean anything." She stammered. "I am never dating that brat and you can quote me on it."

"I'll be sure to recite it at your wedding reception." She punched him in the arm as he laughed. They sat for a few minutes, staring into the alley where their target was set to appear. She sighed a couple of times and he couldn't help but feel there was something behind it. "What's the matter there, Kid?"

"Oh, I shouldn't complain." She sighed again.

"Hey, if you can't complain to me, who can you complain to?" He asked.

"Right, okay..." She said. "See, tomorrow is Thanksgivin' right?" He nodded. "I need to be up at five o'clock in the mornin' to start workin' on dinner."

"All by yourself?"

"Yeah, Mama is workin' early tomorrow and all of our relatives are going to squeeze themselves into our tiny apartment for dinner." She drummed her hands on her knees again. "We always eat early 'cause we have a local soup kitchen we volunteer at and we'll end up being there the rest of the day."

"So go home and go to bed." He said.

"I can't, I have my orders to wait out the target." She sighed again.

"Sometimes you need to disobey orders." Jason shrugged. "Look, I'm here, I'll be here until the target shows up, I'll be fine handlin' him on my own." He stretched. "Go home and get some sleep."

"Don't you have important things to do too?" Her eyes flashed at him and he couldn't help but think that this girl was wise beyond her years. "Or an important someone to get home to?"

"She'll see me in the morning." He shrugged, realizing that he was letting her in on a little too much information, but he didn't care. "She may wish she were out here with me, but she understands."

"I see." Nell stood up from her spot. "Hey, I'm sorry if I somehow offended you when I told you that she scared the crap outta me." He chuckled and stood up, extending his hand for her, which she took eagerly.

"To tell you the truth, she scared me when I first met her too." He shook her hand while he spoke. "But I promise you that underneath the ninja exterior, she's a sweet woman. I hope you get to meet her again one day, out of costume."

"And that goes the same for you, Mr. Red Hood." She smirked at him, turning to leave.

"It was nice meeting you, Nell." He called after her. "Batgirl."

* * *

As they pulled into the manor, Jason couldn't help but wish that his car was done. It was cold, even by Gotham standards and the motorcycle ride wasn't too pleasant. They both rushed inside, quick to close the doors behind them and keep the cold air from entering. His first instinct was to pull her into him and rub her back and arms to warm her up. Selina walked through the parlor, catching them.

"It's cold out there, isn't it?" She mocked a shiver.

"Bitterly cold." Jason said, his teeth chattering a little bit. "It's worse on a motorcycle too."

"You still haven't finished that car?" She asked, motioning for them to follow her.

"No, not for lack of trying though." He sighed, draping an arm around Cass as they walked behind Selina. "The damn thing needs a new engine, and those are expensive." Selina lead them to a den on the lower floors that had a fire raging. Dick, Damian, and Bruce were inside, keeping themselves warm and Sarah was playing on the floor. "Where's Barbie?"

"She's feeding Haley." Dick said. "She would have done it in here, but Damian was embarrassed."

"I was not." Damian said, folding his arms. "I just thought it was inappropriate for her to pull her breasts out in front of other people." Dick rolled his eyes.

"She's a mother, Damian. She knows how to breastfeed without you even realizing she was doing it." Damian mumbled something, but didn't take the discussion any farther.

"It's not Thanksgiving without everyone arguing." Jason joked.

"Don't joke like that." Tim's voice came behind him. He and Cass turned to see him and Stephanie standing at the door they just came in. "I'm surprised you beat us here."

"We can be on time for things sometimes." Jason smirked.

"Nah, it's just because we visited my mom earlier." Stephanie said, already on her way to hug Cass.

"I told you she was welcome to come." Bruce looked up from a book he was reading.

"We told her she could, she said she wouldn't know how to handle herself." Tim shrugged.

"She's working a late shift tonight anyway." Stephanie said. "I tell her all the time that you guys are normal people and that she probably has more manners than most of you, but she doesn't believe me." She looked pointedly at Jason when she said it.

"Hey, I'm not an animal." Jason scoffed. "I just don't see the point in all the silverware and the rules of proper dining. I just want to eat without needing to 'sit up straight' or 'keep my elbows off the table'."

"I think most of us agree with you on that, Jason." Dick nodded. "I grew up in the circus. Meals for me usually consisted of a huge pot luck, where if you wanted something, you had to fight your way through the clowns."

"Sounds like Thanksgiving here." Barbara walked in, carrying Haley in her arms. Stephanie rushed over to see her.

"Hey there, Haley." She cooed. "I haven't seen you since you came home from the hospital."

"Yeah, yeah, coo over the baby and completely ignore her mother." Barbara teased Stephanie, handing Haley off to her.

"I'm sorry, Barb. I can't help it." Stephanie blushed.

"It's alright, you're pregnant. You have 'baby brain'." Barbara patted her on the shoulder and moved to sit next to Dick on the couch.

"'Baby brain'?" Cass asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah." Barbara smirked at her. "Have you noticed that you just can't get enough of babies? Or you just see them everywhere?" Cass nodded. "That's the 'baby brain'. All expecting mothers suffer from it. It gets worse as you get closer to your due date."

"Babs had bad cases where she'd totally space out in the middle of doing routine Oracle stuff." Dick chuckled. Barbara elbowed him in the side. "Ow." He rubbed his ribs. "It's like there's only one thing in their brains that registers as important, and everything else is forgotten."

"I remember Steph doing that back when we were teenagers." Tim said. Stephanie threw him a look, but he continued. "You think they put on the wrong shoes cause they can't see their feet, but it's because they're not paying attention." Dick nodded, chuckling to himself. Jason took a sideways glance at Cass. She was looking at her feet, like she was wondering if that had happened to her.

"You're going to make her paranoid, Timmy." He said, rubbing Cass' shoulder a little.

"Sorry, Cass." Tim said. Alfred appeared at the door.

"Dinner is served."

Everyone was up and following him in an instant. The large table that sat in the dining room was just enough to accommodate all of them, plus a pumpkin seat with a napping Haley in it. Alfred and Dick did their usual dance of fighting over who was going to carve the bird, until Alfred made the threat to Dick that he'd better sit down before he made sure he wasn't going to have anymore children. Everyone laughed as Dick moved to sit back down and Barbara patted him on the shoulder. They passed the food around, Jason was beginning to believe what Barbara had said about Thanksgiving being like a circus. He had to will himself against getting up to get a share of something for himself a couple of times.

They ate, every so often someone would have a story to tell and the others listened intently. Jason told everyone about meeting Nell the night before. Apparently the only ones who were still against her knowing their identities were Bruce and Damian. It seemed like Bruce was starting to consider the idea, but Damian was firmly against it.

"She doesn't need to know." He said, setting his plate aside. "She's not going to be sticking around."

"What makes you think that?" Stephanie was quick to argue. "She's a lot like me. I think the more you tell her that she's not going to stick around, the more she'll try and prove you wrong."

"No arguing." Bruce said, standing up from the table. "I will tell Nell when the time is right. No one is going to influence that decision but her." Everyone was already getting up, taking their dishes into the kitchen. Alfred protested, but most everyone, save for Bruce and Damian, helped clear the table and clean the dishes. All that was left was dessert, some pumpkin and minced meat pies sat waiting for consumption. They cut some slices, everyone eating in the main living area, where the T.V. played reruns of the Thanksgiving parade in the background.

Jason felt his eyes drooping, after two slices of pie, he was ready to go to sleep. This was a time when he'd start getting handsy with Cass. There was conversation going on but his brain wasn't focused on it. He was running his hand over Cass' stomach, something that started way back when they first learned of her pregnancy. His hand came to a spot that was harder than normal on her, not like her usual muscle. He smirked to himself, running his fingers over the spot.

"Did you eat too much, Cass?" He asked. "Your stomach is all hard." Barbara watched his hand run over the spot he was referring to for a second before she laughed.

"That is not where her stomach is, Jason." She said, leaning forward in her spot. "That's more where her uterus would be right now." He scrunched his face up, confused as to what she meant until he realized that it wasn't just a hard spot. That part of her stomach bumped out a little more than the rest of her. Then it hit him.

"Is that the baby?" He said, getting excited. He ran his hand over her stomach again, the bump becoming more obvious the second time. "Cass!" He looked at her face, she was grinning at him. "You have a tiny baby belly."

"I know, I noticed this morning." She said.

"Why didn't you tell me then?" He asked.

"I knew you would enjoy it more if you found it yourself." She smirked. Stephanie was already on her way over.

"Lemme feel." She was already moving Jason's hand out of the way.

"It's just a hard spot and a bump, Stephanie." Cass said, watching Stephanie's hands find the spot they were talking about. "There's nothing else."

"Yeah, but this is like, physical proof that you're still pregnant and going strong." She smiled at Cass. "That little pooch is your best evidence of that." Jason waved her hand off, replacing it with his own. She turned to stick her tongue out at him. "You'll get to feel it all the time, ya butt."

"Yeah, that's the perk of being the father." He stuck his tongue out in turn.

"Watch out there, you two." Barbara cut in, talking to Jason and Cass. "The second that bump shows up, it seems to grow at an exponential rate."

"That's for sure." Dick nodded. "One day you're excited 'cause it's there and then the next day she's nine months pregnant and she can't get up on her own." Jason smiled widely at Cass. He still couldn't picture her at that point, but the reality of her being pregnant was really sinking in now that there was actual physical evidence of it. He ran his thumb over her bump, thankful that they had some proof that the baby was still growing and thriving.


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN: I had to change the rating of the fic for this chapter.**_

It took a few knocks at the door for Cass to realize that someone was even knocking. She put down the book she'd picked up from the library, trying to pull herself out of the story as she walked to answer it. Stephanie smiled wide at her when she opened the door.

"Hey, Cass!" She said cheerfully. She paused for a second, studying Cass' face. "Are you feeling okay? Your face is all flushed."

"I'm okay." Cass turned to avoid her gaze.

"Are you really now?" Stephanie said, walking into the apartment more. She caught sight of Cass' book on the coffee table and picked it up, waving it at her. "Or has this book got you all hot and bothered?"

"I- uh..." Cass stammered, feeling her face heat up even more.

"Cass, were you aware of what was in this book when you got it?" Stephanie asked, smirking at her. Cass shook her head, not daring to look at her. "You do realize that this is supposed to be some pretty steamy erotica, right?"

"It was in the romance section..." Cass answered quietly.

"You know that 'romance' is just an affront for 'sexity sex sex sex', right?" Stephanie opened Cass' book, finding her bookmark, "_He growls deeply at her, standing them both up and setting her on his desk, his papers falling to the floor. Their lips connect as he begins to thrust slowly, taking the time to feel every part of her as he does. She moans in response, her head falling back to rest on the wall... _Whoo, Cass. This is steamy."

"Stephanie..." Cass felt like there was no way she could be redder.

"Where's Jason while you're sitting in here reading this?" Stephanie asked, looking around for him.

"He's working."

"So, you're home all alone, reading erotica, while your man is out working." She set the book back on the table. "Sounds like you're a lonely house wife."

"The woman at the library suggested it." Cass mumbled.

"Uh, huh. What did you ask her to find you if she ended up giving you this?" Stephanie said. "All teasing aside though, Cass. Jason's working? I had no idea he had a job."

"There's a car place a few blocks over that he does work for." Cass explained, thankful Stephanie was moving the conversation somewhere else.

"Doing what? Answering phones?" Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"No, he's helping fix cars." Stephanie's expression shifted from confusion to concern.

"He's not certified to do that though, he's not a mechanic."

"No, but he knows a lot about fixing cars. He's been working there since he started working on the security in the safe house. He told me he found them and offered his help with small things, and now they have him help the regular mechanic." Cass shrugged.

"Cass, they could get in trouble for having a guy on the payroll who isn't certified." Stephanie folded her arms, leaning on a hip. "I know Jason and all the other batguys are pretty good at that stuff, but doing it for a living is totally different."

"It's nothing like that, Stephanie." Cass shook her head. "He's not a formal employee, they pay him cash when he works."

"That doesn't sound legal." Stephanie's eyes went wide.

"What about the two of us is?" Cass was serious now. "It's better than the way he used to make money, at least it's honest for him to do work. The owner of the store has no problem with it." Stephanie opened and closed her mouth, trying to come up with another argument to make, but she decided against it.

"Okay, if you're okay, I'm okay." She said, holding her hands in the air. "I came over for a reason though. Jason talked about Nell at Thanksgiving and it just reminded me that it's been forever since I've seen her. I figured I'd surprise her at work and take her out to lunch, and since you have nothing to do, I thought you'd like to join us."

"Sounds great, I was just thinking about getting some food." Cass started to grab her jacket.

"You might want to put on a bigger shirt first." Stephanie smirked at her. "Your belly may not be huge and obvious, but that shirt shows it off pretty well." Cass paused, taking a moment to look down at her stomach.

"It's only been a couple of weeks since I noticed it growing and it's already gotten twice as big." She sighed, heading into the bedroom to find a bigger shirt. "Some of my jeans don't fit anymore."

"That happens, you're in your second trimester, this is when a lot of growth and development is happening." Stephanie leaned on the doorframe to wait for her. "It'll get much bigger by your third trimester, then it goes nuts. Before my last baby was born, I wondered to myself if I could stretch anymore." Cass got her new shirt and jacket on, and she and Stephanie headed out to the car. The drive to Nell's work was short, she worked in a small bookstore only a few blocks from Jason's safe house. This area was part of Park Row, but not considered as dangerous as the Crime Alley area. Stephanie told Cass that Nell actually lived in an apartment not far from the bookstore with her mom.

They walked in and Cass' eyes immediately started scanning all the books on the shelves. The place was small, but they seemed to try and cram every book possible inside. Nell was at the front register with her back turned to them, talking on the phone with someone. Cass could tell by her body language that she was annoyed, despite the chipper tone in her voice. She said a quick "have a nice day." before all but slamming the receiver back on it's stand.

"I told you twelve times that we didn't have that book in stock, you moron." She muttered to it. "Some people, I swear."

"What about some people?" Stephanie asked, causing Nell to jump and turn to her voice.

"Stephanie!" She burst into a grin. "I haven't seen you in... God, how long has it been?"

"Too long, my little protege. Too long." Stephanie said, rushing over to pull Nell into a hug. "Sounds like I need to go beat up a customer for bugging you though."

"No, you don't need to do that." Nell shook her head, smirking. "People seem to think we're like the big chain bookstores and have every book imaginable. It takes a lot o' explainin' for them to realize we're more like a themed thrift shop."

"Mmm." Stephanie said, taking a moment to look around her. "So, when do you get lunch? I wanna treat you."

"You don't have to do that, Stephanie." Nell's eyes went wide. "I can pay for my own lunch."

"Nonsense, I didn't go pull Cass away from home to make the two of you pay your own way." Stephanie waved her off.

"Cass?" Nell asked. "Who's Cass?"

"She's-" Stephanie turned to point at her, but Cass was out of sight, looking through the shelves. She didn't use to care for reading books, back when she didn't know how. But, being able to was a big step in her learning to love them, along with living with Jason. He didn't have T.V.s at any of his safe houses, mostly because his furniture was usually picked up on some rich person's curb, and T.V.s were harder to come by. Even if they had one, hooking up cable without being noticed was harder than electricity and water. So, Cass spent alone time reading. She found herself fascinated whenever she walked into places with a lot of books, and she was starting to understand Barbara's love for them. Stephanie found her in the back of the store, browsing the kid's area. "Cass." she grabbed her arm. "C'mon we're going out to lunch, you can look around later."

"But-" Cass started.

"I promise you can look around when we get back." Stephanie started pulling her to the front. "Nell only has half an hour for lunch and we gotta go." Nell met them by the door, taking a moment to study Cass.

"I do know you." She said. "Black-"

"Shhhh." Stephanie stopped her. "Her name is Cass. If the boss man doesn't like you knowing that much, then he can take it up with me." They walked out of the store, ignoring Stephanie's car to walk to a diner down the road. The people inside knew Nell pretty well, greeting her by name when they entered. The three of them sat at a booth, Nell was still concentrated on Cass.

"What did Red Hood tell you?" Cass quietly asked when their waitress left to put in their orders.

"How did you-?" Nell's eyes went wide.

"It's something she does." Stephanie sighed. "Don't question it for now, you'll learn all about how she does it someday." Nell's faced scrunched in confusion, but she shook it off.

"He didn't really tell me too much, I just kinda pieced it together that you and him are a couple." Nell answered. "And he made it sound like there was somethin' up with you, which is why you haven't been around. I was just wonderin' what it was, 'cause you don't look sick."

"I'm pregnant." Cass said, smiling at her. She knew that it was a secret within the family, but this girl already felt like part of the family.

"You are?! Congratulations!" Nell exclaimed, almost jumping from her seat. "How far along are you?"

"About three and a half months." Cass answered, leaning on her hands. Stephanie chuckled as the waitress brought their order.

"Don't choke on your sandwich when I tell you this, Nell." She said. "But, I'm pregnant too." Nell coughed, nearly choking on the large bite of food she had just taken. "I told you not to choke!" Stephanie patted her back.

"No, I'm okay." Nell took a drink of her water, taking deep breaths. "Don't tell me stuff like that when I'm eating though!" She grinned at Stephanie. "I'm so excited for you, the both of you." She turned to Cass. "I have a friend who's pregnant too, I'm seeing pregnant people everywhere." She said, taking another bite of her food. "And I'm still single."

"It will come in time." Stephanie said, sagely. "You might be surprised where it comes from. When I first met the man I married, he was running around rooftops in green tights."

"I'm not marrying Robin." Nell scoffed. "You and the freaking Red Hood, messing with me about that."

"Pfffft." Stephanie nearly spat out her drink. "He did? He and I are way too similar. It's no wonder Cass likes him so much, he's a male version of me." Cass looked up from her food and Stephanie grinned at her. "You know it's true."

"I dunno why you say that though." Nell sighed, pushing her empty plate away. "If it's just because of the whole 'Batgirl and Robin' relationship thing that has happened over the years that Hood was tellin' me about, it doesn't mean anythin'."

"You know, it's true that all the Batgirls and Robins have gotten together." Stephanie said, thoughtful now. "But they never dated or ended up together as Batgirl and Robin. It wasn't until Nightwing and Oracle were, well, Nightwing and Oracle that they got together. I dated Red Robin when he was Robin, but by the time I became Batgirl, he was Red Robin. And Cass and Red Hood never met as Batgirl or Robin." She grinned at Nell. "Watch out for when Robin moves on to a new mantle, he may become suddenly irresistible."

"Yeah, right." Nell pushed herself up, Cass and Stephanie following not far behind. Stephanie and Nell argued for a second about who was going to pay the bill before Stephanie put her in a choke hold and handed her card to the cashier. The three of them left, taking Nell back to work, and Cass couldn't get a thought out of her head.

"Why are you so against being with Robin?" She asked. "You have a crush on him."

"What?!" Stephanie shouted, turning to Nell now.

"That's so creepy that you can do that!" she yelled at Cass.

"Totally not the issue at hand, Nell!" Stephanie shook her a little bit as they walked. "I know Cass told the truth. So, what's holding you back?" Nell closed her mouth, looking at her feet now.

"I-I can't." She said quietly. They stopped in front of the bookstore and she looked up at Cass and Stephanie. "It's just, the way my last relationship ended. I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Sweetie..." Stephanie pulled her into a hug. "I know, it hurts still. No one can dictate how long you're allowed to take to move on. You owe it to yourself to try, though." Nell squeezed her for a moment before pulling away.

"I know, and I will." She said, sniffling. "Just, not now." Stephanie nodded at her and they walked inside, the owner of the bookstore greeting them and welcoming Nell back. Cass was on a mission now that they were back, she thought she saw something in the kid's area that she wanted to get. Stephanie was wrapped up in talking to Nell, so she made her way back there again. Sure enough, on a shelf just barely out of her reach was a series of books, bound together in what looked like saran wrap. She stood on her tiptoes, reaching for it. The owner caught her on his way back to his office and reached up to help her with it.

"There you go, Ma'am." He said, smiling at her and looking at the books he grabbed. "The _Nate the Great _series, eh? These are older books, but I'm pretty sure this is the whole series."

"That's perfect." Cass said, taking it from his hands. "As long as the last one is in here."

"Yep, it is." The owner pointed to it, the last in the bunch. "Looks like these books were cared for too. It was a heck of a find, for both of us it seems." He winked at her before heading into his office. Cass walked to the front, greeted by Stephanie waving a book in her face.

"Caaaaaaass." She sang. "It's the second book in your erotica series." Cass felt her face heat up.

"I don't want it." She set her find on the counter. Stephanie chuckled and leaned over her to get a better look at it.

"Are those children's books?" She asked. "Stocking up on books for your kid already."

"No." Cass answered as Nell rang up her total. "It's for Red Hood."

"Why are you getting him children's books?" Stephanie moved to the side of the counter.

"Because he loves these books. He has the first one from when he was a kid, and he told me he never got to read the last one." Cass started digging through her pocket for cash.

"So you're like, giving him his childhood." Stephanie leaned on her hands. "That's so sweet."

"Do you want a box for that?" Nell asked after the transaction was done. "So he can't peek at his Christmas present?"

"Christmas!" Stephanie yelled, popping up off the counter. "Holy crap, I forgot it was coming."

"I wasn't getting it as a Christmas present, I was just going to surprise him with it when he got home." Cass shrugged.

"No, put it in a box for her, Nell." Stephanie said. "Why give it to him now, if it's such a great present?" Nell did as instructed, handing the box to Cass when she was done. Stephanie and Cass left the store, Stephanie talking about doing some Christmas shopping soon. "This is the last year it'll just be me and Tim." She said as they got in the car. "This one needs to be special, 'cause it'll be all about the kid after this year."

"That's true." Cass said, her mind wandering to something she never experienced. Christmas morning with a family. A child excited to see what Santa Claus brought for them. She smiled as they pulled next to Jason's safe house. Stephanie leaned over to hug her.

"I'm gonna get home. I need to get ready for work." She said. "I'll see you later, if not, I'll definitely see you at Christmas." Cass squeezed her back before heading up to the door. Stephanie stayed, watching her, until she unlocked it. She waved one last time as she closed the door behind her, looking down at the box in her hands and trying to decide what to do with it until Christmas. They didn't have a tree, and she wasn't sure if they were even going to get one. There was an empty room in the safe house, save for their bedroom and the room where Jason kept most of his arsenal and his case files. She opened the door, there wasn't a single piece of furniture in the room. They had no reason to use it, so it remained empty. She opted to hide the present in the closet, setting it on the floor. Neither of them came into this room anyway, so he probably wouldn't even look.

It took her a moment longer than normal to straighten up, her belly might have still been small, but she wasn't used to the new center of gravity yet. She started to wonder if she ever would, considering how everyone was telling her it would be constantly growing. Closing the closet door for good measure, she turned to the room again. This would probably end up being the baby's room. She tried to picture it, a crib over by the window, a dresser or something like Barbara had for changing diapers across the room from it. She paced around the room, just imagining it. Jason poked his head in, catching her off guard.

"I'm home." He smiled at her. "What'chu doin' in here?"

"I was just, thinking." She said, walking over to him to give him a kiss.

"'Bout what?" He grinned wider when she pulled away. "Is this the infamous 'baby brain'?" She smirked at him, shaking her head.

"No, it just hit me when I came in here that this would have to be the baby's room." She glanced back inside. "I was just trying to picture it."

"I never thought a baby would be the art of the picture." He whispered, leaning down to kiss the side of her head. "There's something surreal about it." He walked into the room. "Knowing that in a few months we'll be filling it with accommodations for little Peanut." She smiled at him, leaning on the wall. The two of them discussed what they would do with the room for the rest of the afternoon, Jason even opened the door to the closet to get an idea of how big it was, but he didn't even notice the box on the floor.

* * *

Patrol that night was turning out to be pretty routine for Jason. Bruce was finally discussing getting him his own communicator. Jason wondered if that was a sign of trust, or if Bruce was just sick of waiting for him to pull it out of his pocket every time he needed to talk to him.

The night was slow, only a few petty crimes that didn't require more than an appearance from Batman to stop. Jason was starting to think he could go home early when they spotted a man wandering the back alleys, covered in blood. Damian was the first to confront him. Despite the fact that he wasn't the most social Robin that ever donned the mantle, he was still the best choice of the three of them. They didn't want to spook him. Jason listened through the comm, the man was manic he had no idea where he was or why he was covered in blood. Amnesia, perfect. Damian suggested that they follow his footsteps, since the man himself had no visible wounds, they could only conclude the blood was someone else's, and therefore they needed to figure out where he came from. The man shook as he walked, Jason and Bruce tailing behind him and Damian the whole way to an abandoned building. His shaking got worse as they approached it.

"Look, Kid." He turned to Damian, desperate. "I don't want to go in there, something tells me that there's something terrible in there, and I don't want to know what it is." Bruce turned his attention to Jason for a moment.

"You have a mask on under the helmet, right?"

"Yes, I always do." Jason unstrapped the helmet, setting it on the rooftop next to him to drop down to join Damian and the man.

"Wh-Who's that?" The man clutched Damian's arm and Jason couldn't help but smirk at his scowl.

"That's an associate of mine." He said, wiggling his arm from the man's grasp. "He's going to keep an eye on you while I check inside."

"Why can't he check inside and you stay with me?" The man asked, grabbing Damian's cape this time.

"Awe, c'mon, Buddy." Jason walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, trying to avoid the blood. "I'm not gonna hurt'cha. Robin here just needs to look inside, and since you don't wanna go in, I hafta watch you." The man let go of Damian's cape just long enough for him to slip inside. Jason was beginning to think that Damian was better off in the Batman role, than in the Robin one. The man remained at Jason's side, shaking and looking around wildly.

"Robin to Batman and Red Hood." Damian's voice sounded in Jason's comm., he pulled it out of his pocket to hear better. "There's a double homicide in here, I suggest we hold our guy for questioning." Jason turned his attention to the man, who was now ghostly pale. Realization was forming in his eyes and Jason could tell his memory had decided to return to him. His shaking had only gotten worse though, as he studied Jason further.

"The Red Hood." He said. "I-it wasn't my idea, I swear, I was following orders." He took a step back, Jason reached a hand out to grab him by the wrist.

"You're not going anywhere." He dragged the pathetic creature inside. Bruce had already met up with Damian.

"Don't kill me!" The man shouted through sobs. "It wasn't me, I didn't kill them!"

"Then who did?" Batman was waiting for them to make it to the room. "Tie him up, Red Hood."

"Right." Jason pulled some del cable from his belt, tying the man's hands and feet together and sitting him on the floor. He sobbed harder as Batman approached. Jason decided to let Bruce do his thing and turned to inspect the scene with Damian. An older couple laid in the middle of the room, tied back to back. Both their throats had been slit and the floor was soaked with blood. Damian was already searching for other clues so Jason turned his attention back to what was now a retelling of the whole story.

"I told ya, the boss wanted these two dead. I-I don't know why." The man said through sobs. "I thought we were going to be eliminating some competition when he said he wanted my help offing someone, b-but when I came to the meeting place, he had me tie them up and throw them into the back of our car." Jason turned to the couple again, they were in pajamas, the accomplice and his boss must have dragged them out of bed. "Then, we took them up here and the boss was bein' real cryptic about why he even wanted to kill them in the first place. He had this mad grin on his face when he told them that it was 'nothin' personal, just doin' business'." People never ceased to disgust Jason. They considered killing innocent people under the pretense of 'business', it made him sick. "An', an'," the accomplice continued his story. "The lady, she was begging for her life. Said she had grandchildren that she wanted to see grow up. The man, he didn't say nothin' he just squeezed her hand." That hit a nerve. Jason started to pace, it was the only thing he could do to keep his cool. The accomplice watched him, his fear becoming evident again.

"Red Hood." Batman said, quietly. "Go help Robin with gathering evidence if you can't listen to the confession." Jason gritted his teeth and nodded, walking over to join Damian in his quest for evidence, even though the man's confession would be enough testimony in court, if he kept his facts straight.

"What's your problem, Hood?" Damian whispered. "Can't you take a crime description."

"It's hard to explain." Jason said. "Ask me again when you've got a girl that you're in love with." Damian paused, contemplating what he meant before returning to work. The man continued his story in the background. The couple's throats had been slit, the woman first, to shut her up, then the man. Jason had to shake off some rage again and he leaned against the back wall, starting to feel sick.

"Red Hood, Robin." Batman turned to them. The man was done spilling his guts and GCPD was on the way. "Wait here and make sure our witness doesn't try an escape." He turned to leave the two of them.

"Where are you going?" Jason called after him.

"To find the killer. And before you say anything," he stopped Jason in the middle of opening his mouth. "no, you can't come."

"Bu-" Jason started.

"I still don't trust you to go after killers, Red Hood, and that's the end of it." He left. Jason brought his fist to the wall, tonight couldn't have gone worse for him. Sirens from police cars and the sound of cops footsteps caused him and Damian to make a hasty exit. They stood on the building Jason had left his hood, watching homicide work the scene.

"I don't understand, Todd." Damian turned to him after a few tense moments. "Why did the crime description affect you so badly?"

"It had to do with the man holding his wife's hand." Jason sighed, pulling his helmet on. He felt like he could breathe better in it.

"Why? It was merely a gesture of comfort on his part." Damian folded his arms.

"I told you it wouldn't make sense until you fell in love." Jason turned to leave him, done with this scene and done with this night.

"I don't see how that's possible." Damian continued the conversation. Jason sighed, turning back to him.

"I'll try to explain then. They were both aware they were dying. She was begging for her life, the chance to see her grandchildren again, and he was silent. The only thing he could think to do was hold her hand... why do you think he did?"

"As I said before." Damian was sure of his answer. "A gesture of comfort."

"Well, yes. But there was more to it. He didn't cry or beg for his life, he knew they were dying. He held her hand to remind her that they were together, that they'd be together in death. He wanted her to know that he was still there for her, even if he couldn't protect her." Jason turned away from Damian again.

"I don't understand why that affected you still." Damian said behind him.

"I already told you why." Jason started walking away. "You've never been in love."

* * *

His safe house was dark, empty. He pulled his helmet off, trying to dispel the demons of the night to relax, but it was near impossible. There was only one thing that could totally calm him down now, and she was fast asleep by this point. A book she'd picked up from the library laid on her nightstand as he knelt next to her, pulling a glove off to brush a hand against her cheek. Her lips parted and her nose scrunched up slightly, but she remained unconscious. He stood up, pulling his belts off and hanging them in the closet, his armor followed. He paused to stare at her figure in his bed for a moment before pulling his boxers off. It had been a long time since he focused on her and only her. The baby had become such a major thing in their lives that they were less focused on each other.

He climbed into bed, pulling her close. She stayed fast asleep, he was thankful for not waking her, but at the same time, he needed her. He dug his face into the back of her neck, kissing it a couple of times. That woke her. She stirred in his arms, rolling over to face him. He could tell she was still half asleep and he kissed her nose.

"I'm sorry, Baby Bat." he whispered. "I didn't really want to wake you." Her eyes flashed at him, a look he was all too familiar with.

"Yes you did." She said, her voice raspy. She hugged him close, "What happened?" He opened his mouth, he wanted to explain, but his throat tightened.

"You know I would do anything for you, right?" He asked. "Even die to protect you." She tilted her head up to look at him, understanding in her eyes.

"I do." She whispered. "And I would too." She brought herself up to kiss him, he squeezed her tight when she did. They pulled away, staying centimeters apart.

"I just wanted to make sure." He said, kissing her again and rolling them over so his body was over hers. Her hands trailed from his back, to his chest, up onto his cheeks, and rested on the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his hair. He pulled back from the kiss, dragging his lips against her jawline to her ear. "You know I love you." he whispered.

"Of course." The words came out more as a breath of air, than speech. His lips found her collarbone and he started nibbling at it before trailing them back up to her mouth. Her breathing was getting heavier and her cheeks flushed a deep pink. He connected their lips again, trailing his hand down the side of her body. It came in contact with her stomach and he remembered then that the baby was still in there. The side of his brain against sex with the baby inside her won out in that instant, but he wasn't about to quit on her now. He bit at her lower lip as his fingers found her clit, he rubbed in small circles, her hips pressing into his fingers as he worked. He noted that she was already wet as he slid a finger inside, curling it up. She moaned softly and he nibbled at her jawline, desperate to keep her taste in his mouth. She pulled on his hair, directing him to look at her. "Jay..." she whispered, her eyes begging him for more.

"Baby Bat..." He whispered back, kissing her neck before adding another finger, speeding up slightly and keeping them curled. Her back arched as he did and she moaned louder, dragging her teeth over her bottom lip. He could feel her pulling on his fingers already, had it been that long? She was obviously extremely sensitive to any kind of stimulation. He pressed his thumb against her clit and started moving his fingers faster. Another moan escaped her and her hands tightened on his hair. He kissed her cheek, keeping his face pressed to hers as he added a third finger and sped up to the fastest speed he could muster. "Lemme hear it." He said in her ear.

The moans started out as whines and she let go of his hair, desperately grabbing at his back, her nails running down his sides. He moved his face down to suck on her collarbone, trying to remain focused on the task at hand. He could feel her twitching beneath him until she tensed. Her arms wrapped around him and she let out a long shaky moan. The waves of her orgasm pulled at his fingers until her body relaxed beneath him. He pulled his fingers out, kissing her cheeks softly as she breathed heavily, her eyelids drooping.

He rolled off of her, turning on his side to pull her close to him again. She buried her head in his chest, still trying to catch her breath. His body protested at him for not paying any attention to it, but he ignored it. This wasn't about him, it was about her, and how glad he was that she was still at his side.


	14. Chapter 14

Jason sighed. Stephanie had come to whisk Cass away to do some Christmas shopping with her and Barbara, leaving him alone on his day off. He'd already cleaned a couple of his guns that needed it and he was starting to consider calling Dick or Tim to do something. He slipped his phone out of his pocket, staring at his contacts when it started ringing. Roxy's name flashed on the caller ID, he hadn't talked to her since he and Cass came back to Gotham.

"Roxy?" He answered. "What's up?"

"What's up yourself." She said, her usual cool voice sounded annoyed at him. "I haven't gotten a single phone call. You know I told Jane and Joey that you and Cass were expecting and Jane won't stop badgering me about it."

"Sorry, Roxy." Jason said, feeling guilty. "A lot has happened in the past couple of months and it slipped my mind."

"Right, but you're going to make it up to me." She said. "I'm taking the kids to the mall for some Christmas shopping and I wouldn't mind a strong man such as yourself to help me carry stuff."

"Roxy..." he made a face. "I'm in Gotham. Are you suggesting I drive five hours to you and five hours back just to help you with shopping?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm senile, Red. I know you're in Gotham." Jason flinched at her voice, her tone indicated that she wasn't amused. "I'm in Gotham too, I was visiting some family for the holidays. Now I need to shop for them, and you know the rest."

"You've got Joey." He reminded her, standing up from the couch. "He's what, fifteen now? Shouldn't he be the man of the house and help you?"

"That boy is more concerned with picking up girls than anything else, I think he's gotten scrawnier since you last saw him. But seriously, Red. We're about to leave for the mall, and I could use your help."

"Alright, alright." He started pulling his boots on. "I'm coming. Which mall are you going to? Gotham has a million of 'em." Roxy gave him the name. That one was more towards the Gotham suburbs, her family must live in that area. "Okay, I'm on my way then." he hung up the phone and finished lacing up his boots. Helping Roxy shop wasn't necessarily at the top of his 'fun things to do' list, but it sure beat sitting around the safe house. He put on a sweatshirt under his leather jacket for good measure. He was starting to get more accustomed to the cold, now that winter was settling in, but everything was even colder on the bike. He glanced at the car when he mounted it, "I'm gonna have to kick fixing that thing into overdrive." he muttered to himself, starting up his bike. "We're not going to have anyway of getting around if it snows." He kicked the stand up and took off, the wind nipped at any of his exposed skin. His mind wandered back to the car, he'd been working at that auto repair shop since returning to Gotham and he'd been telling the owner and mechanic all about it. They really wanted to see it, but he didn't like the thought of asking for their help to fix it. They still teased him about not actually knowing the names of most of the parts in the engine. He knew what was broken and what wasn't, so he never saw the point in learning all of the names and what exactly they did.

He pulled into the parking lot of the mall, finding a decent spot and parking his bike so anyone coming through with a car could see it was there without getting their hopes up for a spot. He shivered when the warm air of the store he parked next to hit him. He was never cold until he realized how cold he actually was. Roxy had sent him a message, saying they stopped in the food court to eat, so Jason started making his way over there. The place was packed with Christmas shoppers, and it seemed like all of them were determined to run into him. He never understood it, he was a big guy, they could obviously see him. What really got him was that when he would walk through crowds with Cass, people seemed to avoid her. He wasn't sure if it was because she was small, so they took the extra time to pay attention to her there, or if she just put out an aura that caused people to want to avoid her.

He heard Jane calling him before he saw them sitting at a table off to the side of the food court. He waved to her and moved to sit down next to them, taking note that Jane looked just a little disappointed seeing him alone.

"I was hoping Cass was going to come with you." She said, sadly taking a bite of her pizza.

"No, she's out shopping with friends. I was home alone when Roxy called." he shrugged, stealing one of Joey's fries.

"Hey! I was saving those for last." Joey put his arm over his food, scowling at Jason.

"With how much I fed you and your sister when you stayed with me, I think you could spare a few french fries." Jason lifted his eyebrows at him. Joey muttered something inaudible, keeping an arm between his food and Jason while he turned back to his burger. Roxy smirked at the two of them, taking a sip of her drink before addressing Jason.

"So, you have about three months worth of explaining to do, Red." She said, leaning on a hand.

"Yes!" Jane shouted. "You need to tell us all about Cass and the baby."

"The baby hasn't been born yet, _Jane._" Joey scoffed. "They had just found out when Rox told us."

"That doesn't mean they don't know anything about it, now hush." Roxy glared at Joey and he went back to eating his burger in silence.

"Well, uh." Jason started, it hadn't been since they got back from the doctor's office that he had relayed the story. "She's due to have it in May, but..." Roxy's expression flickered at the word.

"'Buts' are never good in these kinds of stories."

"No, they're not." Jason sighed. "See, Cass has been through a lot in her life, and apparently she's at a high risk of, well, losing the baby."

"Oh no!" Jane put her hands over her mouth. Joey's expression fell and he seemed to forget about his food for a moment. Roxy was the only one who remained cool.

"But everything is still okay?" she asked.

"Yes, it is actually." Jason smiled at the three of them. "She seems to be moving along just fine, she worries, but we're both holding onto the fact that the baby is still there."

"That's all you can do." Roxy said quietly. "Speaking of Cass and how head over heels you are for her, have you gotten her anything for Christmas yet?" She smirked at him.

"No, I haven't even thought about it." Jason sighed. "I've been thinking for a long time that I want to get her something nice, but I have no clue what. I think she's gotten something for me, there's something about the way she's reacted when anyone mentions Christmas presents that makes me feel that way."

"Really now? Cass can't hide that kind of thing from you? I figured she'd have a better poker face than that." Roxy stacked some trash on their trays while she talked.

"She does, actually." Jason stood up, helping her. "It's less of a 'reaction' and more of a 'flash' in her eyes. It's subtle, but there." Roxy chuckled, but seemed to decide against making a comment about him being a love struck idiot. Joey and Jane picked up their respective trays and they threw their trash away. Roxy turned back to Jason, crossing her arms.

"You have any idea what you want to get her?"

"I honestly have no idea, Roxy. Why are you so gung ho about this?" Jason raised his eyebrows at her.

"Because, I think you should get Cass something nice, she puts up with _you_ doesn't she?"

"Ouch, thanks for that." He feigned a pain in his chest.

"Why are you having such trouble figuring it out? Don't girls usually like to get jewelry or something like that?" Joey raised an eyebrow at Jason, like that was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Well, yeah. I could do that." Jason crossed his arms. "But, Cass doesn't really wear jewelry."

"She'd wear it if it was from you, Red." Roxy grabbed his arm, pulling him along. "Let's go look around. Can't hurt right?"

"I suppose not." Jason followed after her, but she never let go of his arm the whole way. Jane and Joey followed behind obediently. Jane was whispering something to Joey that Jason couldn't make out. He turned to look back at her and she grinned at him, looking like she had some kind of secret. Roxy lead them to a jewelry store in the mall, there were some men in there, talking to salespeople, looking through the jewelry. One man was loudly talking about how he was going to surprise his girlfriend with a proposal on Christmas eve and he needed the ring to be absolutely perfect. Jason scanned the room while Roxy made her way to a display case with some rings in it. "I dunno, Roxy." he bent next to her to talk. "I want something symbolic."

"What do you think jewelry like this is supposed to symbolise, Red?" Roxy turned her head to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, I know what it symbolizes, what I mean is, I want it to mean something more than an 'engagement ring' or-"

"I knew you were getting her an engagement ring!" Jane squealed, causing a few of the patrons inside to turn in her direction. Jane had a bad habit of hearing only what she wanted to hear.

"Jane-" Jason started, but a salesperson was already on them.

"Getting an engagement ring, are we?" He asked, putting on a winning smile. "I'm sure you two will be very happy together." He looked between Roxy and Jason as he said it.

"Ha!" Roxy laughed, waving the guy off. "No, no, no. We're not a couple, not even close. This idiot is looking for a Christmas present for his girl and he doesn't know what to get her."

"So no engagement ring then?" The salesman asked, looking slightly disappointed. Jane's face dropped.

"I thought you were gonna ask Cass to marry you." she pouted.

"No, sorry, Jane. We're not going to get married, we've discussed it at length." Jane pouted more dramatically at Jason's words. He ignored her turning back to the salesman, "Look, it seems silly, but I want something that represents more than an engagement ring does, if that makes any sense."

"I think I know what you're saying." the salesman put a hand on his chin, thinking. "You want something that can act as a symbol of your relationship with this girl of yours." Jason felt a little heat on his cheeks, hearing him put it like that, but nodded.

"Yeah, that's right."

"There are plenty of rings like that, with two gem slots. Meant to represent the couple in some way." The salesman moved to direct them to what he was talking about.

"He'll need more than just two gems." Roxy said, stopping the salesman. "Those two have a little one on the way. I think three would be much better."

"Roxy..." Jason grabbed her arm, pulling her aside. "We don't really know if the baby is a sure thing. I told you what the chances are."

"You did." She smiled at him. "But you'll feel rather silly when you have to get her another one 'cause you didn't include that baby in the ring."

"But, what if it doesn't make it? Then I have to get one with only two, or it'll be a reminder of what we lost."

"Well, then you better hope it _does_ make it, Red. Or you're going to be coming back here to change it." Jason sighed, it was obvious what she was doing here. He turned back to the salesman, who was patiently waiting for them.

"Three will be best." The salesman lead them to a display, pointing out some ornate rings that held three gems. Jason's eyes wandered until he found a simple one with a thin band, three fake diamonds, the middle one slightly bigger than the other two, sat in their places for display.

"I don't think Cass would be too into the style of a few of these." Roxy said, paying more attention to what the salesman was showing them than Jason was.

"I was just thinking the same thing, actually." Jason was still eyeing the simple ring he spotted. "That one would be nice though, I just don't know about three diamonds in it."

"That can easily be changed." The salesman pulled the ring out of the display and took it over to a computer sitting on the counters. "We can put any gem, or gems, you want in here."

"I like the idea of the center one being a diamond." Jason said. He was starting to put it all together in his head, the center one would be a diamond, like on an engagement ring, but the ring itself would definitely represent more than that.

"And the other two? Would you like to use birthstones?" The salesman was clicking on his computer, setting up the order.

"I dunno, what are the birthstones for August and January?"

"Lemme check." Some more clicking and typing. "August is a peridot, and January is a garnet." He turned the screen to show them what they looked like. The garnet was a deep red color, while the peridot was a lime green. Jason wrinkled his nose.

"I'd like more uniformity than that, so maybe two of the same gem?" Plus the peridot was ugly anyway, go August birthday. "Are there maybe gems that have meanings?"

"All gems have some kind of meaning." The salesman started clicking again. "Here I'll read you some." He started reading off a bunch of gem names and the meanings associated with them. Jason felt himself space out. His brain didn't even register anything the guy said until, "Loyalty and sincerity."

"Wait." He snapped alert. "Which one was that?"

"The sapphire." The salesman repeated himself, turning the screen to show a dark blue gem. "It represents loyalty and sincerity."

"I like that." Jason nodded at the monitor. "I think those two on either side will be great." The salesman turned the monitor back to himself and started clicking and typing again.

"Did you want the band to be gold or white gold?" He asked.

"Uh, white gold looks silvery, right?" Jason was feeling totally out of his element here. "That one." The salesman nodded, turning the screen back to him to show a digital image of what the finished product would look like.

"It's gorgeous." Roxy nodded at it. "I think Cass will love it."

"And what is her ring size?" The salesman asked. Jason's mouth hung open for a second, he had no idea. Roxy sniggered next to him and gave the salesman a size. Jason turned to her.

"How would you know that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Because I had Cass try on one of my rings once, we're the same size." She smirked at him.

"Why would you make her try on one of your rings?"

"Maybe because I was getting her into the idea of having an engagement ring, showing her how it would look."

"Roxy..."

"Don't complain, Red. I was messing with her more than anything." She smacked him on the arm. "Worked out well for you though, didn't it? Aren't you glad I was here?"

"Yes, yes. You're such a lifesaver, Roxy." Jason made sure the sarcastic tone in his voice was obvious. She threw him a look and he flinched, anticipating her hitting him again, but she decided against it. The salesman caught Jason's attention again, giving him a price on the ring and telling him all about payment plans and the like. Jason chose to put the largest first payment down that he could, so that he could keep up with later payments. The salesman put the order in, promising it would be in by Christmas, and they left.

Now it was time for shopping with Roxy. She had a wide array of ages she was shopping for and they found themselves in clothing, gaming, sports, and finally a toy store. Roxy had some older kids to shop for and headed for the action figures, but Jason caught his eye wandering into the baby aisle. He and Cass hadn't even really talked about what they would need to buy. He had overheard Stephanie telling Cass that she was going to get together a baby shower for her when she got closer to her due date, so he was anticipating getting _some _important stuff then. That is, if anyone really cared to show up. As far as he knew, he was still pretty shunned in the superhero community and Cass never talked about friends she had outside of the bats. He knew that Stephanie was pretty friendly with a lot of heroes her age, then Dick and Tim had their individual friends from the Titans, Barbara had the Birds of Prey, which Cass was a part of, but she hardly ever went on group missions, even Bruce had members of the Justice league who he considered his friends, but Jason and Cass were pretty isolated from all of that. He understood why _he _didn't make friends with these people easily, and while Cass knew some of the other heroes, she seemed to distance herself from them.

Roxy had found everything she needed while Jason was lost in thought. They waited at the cash register and he couldn't help but notice all of the charity baskets and donation pleas everywhere. He remembered the kids in Crime Alley. He'd been paying close attention to them and was aware of how many of them were totally on their own, like he had been. He recently found out that the building that caught on fire had been a safe haven for them. The owner of the place hardly paid attention to what was going on in the building, so long as rent was being paid, and the kids had found some empty rooms to take refuge in during the night. The ones that he had seen the firefighters take from the building had made a hasty retreat as soon as they could. Such was the way of a kid in Crime Alley, who couldn't trust anyone but themselves. He kept track of them and figured out they had found another empty building to occupy. Seeing the donation baskets reminded Jason that only kids on the given programs would be getting whatever presents were dropped in there. The kids on Crime Alley would get nothing.

He followed Roxy out of the store, his phone ringing in his pocket. He quickly slipped it out, checking the caller, Cass. She must have gotten home and was wondering where he was.

"Hey, Cass. Did you just get home?" He answered. Jane perked up at the sound of Cass' name and turned to watch him intently.

"Yeah." Cass said, he noted that she sounded tired. "Did you go into work, since I was gone?"

"No, I didn't. Roxy is in Gotham, and she called me up to help her take the kids Christmas shopping." Jason could see Jane getting antsy, like she wanted to take the phone from his hands and talk to Cass herself.

"Really?" Cass' voice perked. "I haven't seen them in months." Jason chuckled.

"Do you want me to invite them over?" Jane's eyes went wide and she pulled on Roxy's arm.

"Please, Roxy. Can we go visit Cass?" She pleaded. Roxy contemplated it for a second before shrugging.

"I don't see why not." She turned to Jason. "Is she up for it though? She had some serious morning sickness last I saw her."

"She's doing better actually." He answered. "She has her weak moments, but I'm not aware of any throwing up she's been doing."

"I can't remember the last time I actually threw up." Cass said in his ear.

"Which is good." Jason said. "Looks like we're getting visitors for a little bit Cass. We'll be there soon."

"Okay, I'm not going anywhere." She said before hanging up. Jason gave Roxy some general directions to his safe house, opting to lead her there on his bike, rather than explain how to get there. He helped her put her bags in the trunk of her car before finding his bike and pulling along side her. She poked her head out the window, looking at him like he was a crazy person. He shrugged, there was no other alternative for him, even though it was freezing outside. He drove home, keeping an eye on her the whole way, making sure she was following him still. They pulled up to his safe house and he wheeled his bike into his spot, waiting for Roxy and the kids to join him by the door.

"You really live out here in the worst part of town don't you, Red?" Roxy asked, looking around.

"It's easier to take care of the people who live here when I live here too." Jason shrugged.

"Aren't you worried about Cass though? I know she can take care of herself, but-"

"This place is more fortified than you think it is." Jason said, sticking his key into the door and punching in his codes. "All the glass and the outside doors are bulletproof." He stuck his eye to the peephole for the scan to kick in. "And Cass and I are the only ones able to open the door without setting off the alarm."

"Paranoid as ever, Red." Roxy smirked at him. He fought back the urge to point out that she was the one who brought up the whole 'is it safe here?' conversation in the first place. The door clicked unlocked and he pushed it open, Jane rushed passed him before he could step aside to let them in. Joey and Roxy calmly walked in with Jason behind. He locked the door and closed it in time to hear Jane squeal.

"You're belly is so big!"

"It's not that big." Cass said, standing up off of the couch.

"Well, last time we saw you, it was flat, Sweetheart." Roxy said, pulling her into a hug. Jason looked Cass over, she was wearing some new clothes that actually fit her, and her hair, which still hadn't been cut, was pulled into pigtails.

"You're not wearing my sweats anymore?" He asked, more focused on her hair than anything else.

"Yeah, Stephanie told me that I should get some clothes that fit me. So, she took me shopping for maternity stuff." She said, smiling at him. "It's supposed to stretch with my stomach, so I should be able to wear it for a while." She noticed him staring. "Stephanie stayed over when we finished shopping and decided to play with my hair."

"It looks cute." Jason said, walking over to her and flicking one of the pigtails. "I'm not used to seeing you with your hair in a different style."

"That's because I usually keep it cut, but I haven't cared to do it in months." Cass shrugged.

"Hey, your only job is to make sure that you take care of yourself." Roxy cut in. "You don't have to maintain anything if you don't want to." Jane was bored with the conversation about Cass' hair, she leaned down next to her stomach, grinning at it.

"Hello in there, baby. How are you doing?" Cass grinned down at her.

"I think it's doing okay. My stomach keeps growing, so I guess that's good."

"Do you know what it is yet?" Joey chimed in. He'd been so quiet, Jason almost forgot he was there. It was obvious the growth the boy had noticed wasn't that of her stomach, his eyes kept flickering to her chest. Jason glared at him and he shrunk a little bit.

"No, we don't." Jason answered, continuing to stare down the fifteen year old. "I don't know if I want to know yet either."

"I bet it's a girl." Jane winked at Cass. "'Cause girls are the best."

"Yeah right, Jane." Joey rolled his eyes. "I bet it's a boy, and he hates you."

"Hush, you two." Roxy glared at the two of them, stopping them before they started getting into a fight. "When are you going to find out the sex?"

"I have an appointment for an ultrasound in January." Cass said. Jason couldn't help but notice that she was starting to instinctively rest her hands on her belly when she talked about the baby. Must be her instincts trying to protect it, or maybe she just liked feeling it there. "They said they'd tell us the sex then."

"Yeah, about that." Jason shuffled a little where he stood. "I don't know if I want to find out at the ultrasound."

"Why not?" Joey cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Well... because there aren't a lot of surprises in life, and I think I'd like to wait for this one." Jason shrugged. "I know that it'll be the same surprise, whether we find out then, or when it's born, but I think it would be more exciting to find out later." He took a sideways glance at Cass, swallowing. "Of course, that's if you're on board, Cass. It's completely up to you." She chewed on the inside of her mouth, looking thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't mind waiting." She finally said. "If you don't want to know, then we won't find out." Jason grinned at her, happy she was willing to wait. He caught Roxy glancing at the clock out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, you two." She sighed. "I wish we could stay longer, but we need to get back to my family." Jane pouted at her, but she shook her head. "I told you when we left to come to Gotham that we wouldn't have a lot of time to visit, didn't I?" Jane nodded sadly and the three of them turned to leave.

"We'll see you around, Roxy." Jason called after her.

"I expect to actually get some phone calls now, you two." She said, ushering the kids out the door.

"Right, I will." He responded as Roxy closed the door behind her.

**A/N: The characters Roxy, Jane and Joey are all characters my friend Luna (blackbirdsheart) created for her fic "Take Two" (which is set a year and a half before the start of TNC). Their story is going to be better explained in her fic (as that is where they are introduced), my writing of them is more of a cameo appearance. Which is why I really didn't describe them. If you wanna learn about their origins, go check out her fic. I tried to give enough back story with the three of them that you can kind of understand where they come from, without ruining what she has planned. She only has chapter one up and only Roxy has been introduced, but if she gets more people bugging her to continue, it might give her the motivation to pick it back up.**


	15. Chapter 15

"Well, gentlemen." Jason walked into the garage of the auto repair shop. "You wanted to see the Firebird. I finally got it over here."

"Took you long enough." Dave, the mechanic of the place, said. He was wiping the oil from his hands with a rag that was probably doing more harm than good on that front. "Hey, Hank!" He called into the back, "The kid finally brought the car over!"

"Well, it's about time!" Hank called back. "He's the one who keeps telling us how much he needs to get it running."

"Right, right. Rag on Jason, I get it. Do you want to see it or not?" Jason folded his arms. The teasing he got from the two brother-in-laws who ran this place was actually pretty welcome. Hank was the trusting type and gave Jason the chance to work right away. Dave, however, was more wary of him. They wanted to run an honest business and their shop was on a main road, albeit on the edge of Crime Alley. It took a good couple of weeks being monitored on oil changes before Dave stopped breathing down his neck, and it was even longer before he was trusted with smaller repairs. Jason reminded them a few times that there was no way they'd get stolen cars in here, unless the person bringing it in was a complete moron. There were plenty of chop shops in Crime Alley if one knew where to look. He hated to admit it, but he once knew the perfect place to hock some tires for quick cash.

"Of course we want to see it." Hank came from the back, grinning at him. Jason lead the two men out into the parking lot, where the tow truck had dropped the car. Dave whistled when Jason opened the hood.

"You're right about it being shot to hell in there." He leaned over it. "Where's the battery for it?"

"It was completely corroded." Jason sighed. "I managed to get a number off of it. There's a new one in the trunk."

"Well, let's hook it up and see what we can get it to do." Jason did as instructed. He'd told them over and over that the engine was locked up and he needed a new one, but they needed to see it for themselves. He stuck the keys in the ignition, all the lights in the car turned on and the radio sprung to life, blaring static. Jason quickly turned it down, in Gotham the setting wasn't anything, but back in his old town, it was an eighties rock station that he would turn on full blast while looking at the car.

"Yeah, your engine isn't even trying to kick on." Hank said.

"Yep, I'd say it's seized up." Dave replied.

"No, really? I had no idea." Jason muttered sarcastically, pulling the key out of the ignition. Dave ignored him and turned to head inside the shop.

"How much did you say you paid for this thing?" Hank asked as they followed.

"Nothing, I found it on the side of the road with a sign saying, 'If you can move it, you can have it.' I've found a few parts that it needed, but the engine is obviously the major concern right now."

"Even with the engine not working, I'm surprised someone just gave this car away." Hank said, thoughtfully. "The body is in good condition, no dents or anything. The leather on the seats is a little worn out, and there's a few scratches in the paint, but that's all aesthetic. They still could have sold it for a pretty penny."

"Hey, don't go telling the people who left this they jipped themselves." Jason raised his eyebrows. "I need the money to buy a new engine, I can't afford both." Hank laughed at him while Dave started searching the computer.

"I'm not gonna do that, I know you need this car. Hell, you wouldn't stop telling us the reason _why _if we begged you to." Jason felt his cheeks flush. It had come up with Hank and Dave that he needed the car fixed for the baby. That was actually when Dave started getting more comfortable with him. Both of these guys were fathers and they seemed to open up more when talking about their kids and their wives. "How much longer until the kid is born anyway?"

"About five more months." Jason answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seems like an eternity."

"It is, but then you have to contend with diaper changing, spit up, and general baby issues. Let alone the fact that your poor girl will be exhausted from caring for it all the time." Dave piped up from the computer.

"I hope it won't be too hard on her." Jason frowned. "I plan on helping as much as I can."

"Yeah, well, I can tell you from experience that no amount of help on your part will help her at all." Hank shrugged. "You'll feel completely useless until the kid is old enough to eat real food. No matter how much you do for it, the mother always does a hundred times more." Jason went to open his mouth, but Dave cut him off from the computer.

"Here you go. Brand new engine for that thing." Hank and Jason walked over to look at it. Jason almost did a double take on the price.

"Is it refurbished? That's half the price of the ones I've been looking at."

"We're an auto repair shop, we get these at a dealer price so we can make some money selling them at retail." Dave explained.

"So my price would be double that." Jason folded his arms.

"No, your price is that price." Hank said, smirking at him.

"What? But, you need to make money off of it."

"We're not paying a penny for it if you buy it. Think of the discount as a bonus, you've been working a lot more than you originally told me you would, and you've been taking a lot of burden off of Dave." Jason tried to think of a way to protest, he was grateful for the offer, but he didn't want to keep mooching off of them.

"You need to get this so you have a car for your family, right?" Dave cut in. "You may need to set your pride aside and take Hank up on his offer, 'cause I'll make you pay full retail for it." Jason sucked some air through his teeth, thinking about how it was starting to snow outside, and how it made him more and more nervous to have Cass on the back of his bike now that she was showing. He needed this car at one hundred percent before the baby was born so that they could take it home on their own. Dave was right, his pride took a backseat to all of that.

"Thanks, Hank." He finally said. "I appreciate it."

* * *

"How was work?" Cass asked Jason as he closed the door behind him. She was in the middle of doing some tai chi, and didn't pause from her task. She'd never been the type to be able to just sit and relax, even though he'd prefer her to, but she understood her body's limits. She never did anything that was too strenuous, and she knew when it was time to stop. Jason did enjoy the image of her, though. It wasn't as sharp and deadly as her movements when she was in uniform, but the slow fluidity was poetic on her.

"Same ol', Same ol'." He answered her. "I got the car down there and we found an engine for it." She turned her head to him, slowly with the rhythm she was keeping. He never understood how she could concentrate so well on two things at once. Especially something like tai chi, which required proper breathing and movement for it to work, and carrying on a conversation with him.

"That's good." She said, her expression remaining concentrated and even.

"Yeah, I'm ready for it to be done." He started heading into the bedroom to change. Sitting on the middle of their bed was a wrapped present. He paused to look at it closer, it wasn't the neatest wrapping job, she had obviously cut the paper too short and added a little strip to keep the box covered. He smirked at it, reaching down to pick it up.

"Leave it alone." Cass was at the door, she must have remembered that she left it in there and come to stop him from trying to peek at it.

"But, it's right here." He pouted, hands still poised over the box. "It's even in my sleeping spot. Lemme see."

"You don't get to open your present early." She folded her arms, giving him a stern look. He couldn't help but crack a smile, momma Cass was on the prowl.

"I am the Red Hood." He pouted dramatically. "I don't need no rules." She walked into the room now, grabbing the present off the bed before turning to leave with it.

"You might want to reconsider that, Red Hood." She said in response. "I may be pregnant, but I can still beat your butt."

"I'm aware that you can." He followed after her. "You know, we don't have a tree where you can put that." She paused before walking down to the empty room to hide it again.

"I could put it under the tree at the manor?" She turned to him, looking thoughtful. He thought about his gift to her, and how if they decided to exchange their gifts at the manor, they'd end up opening them in front of everyone.

"I don't think so..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I'd like us to do our own gift exchange, just the two of us."

"You got me a present?" She looked genuinely surprised.

"Of course I got you a present." He folded his arms. "The only reason I haven't been good about it in the past is because last year Tim and Stephanie had their wedding right before Christmas, and I totally forgot, and because I didn't even know when your birthday was until halfway through the day when Barbie called for you, and told me all about it."

"I had forgotten about my birthday, to be honest." She muttered, leaning on the wall.

"I know you did, I'm not letting you forget it this year though." He glanced down at the present in her arms, and to the living area in his safe house. "I don't know if we're going to end up getting a tree, Christmas is only a couple of days away, I bet all the tree farms all have crap right now."

"We don't have to get a tree." She shrugged. "It wasn't until I met Barbara that I actually had a Christmas. I don't need it to be perfect, I just want to spend the day with everyone."

"I would like it to be perfect for you." He mumbled, glancing down at the present again. "Here." He reached for it and she took a step back. "I'm just going to put it somewhere. I'm not going to open it." She let him take it and he placed it on the coffee table. "That'll work. We'll open them after Christmas dinner." Cass nodded at it before looking back to him. He was fixated on the present on the table, his thoughts somewhere other than the sloppily wrapped present in front of him.

"What's on your mind?" Her eyes flashed at him. She was reading his mind again.

"Oh, well..." Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just, you know how I've been talking to the neighborhood kids?" She nodded. "I had this thought the other day, while I was out with Roxy and the kids, that I'd like to get something for them..."

"Like what?" She looked like she was interested in the idea.

"Well, for starters, I'd like to get them some new coats. The ones they _do _have are torn to hell, and not all of them have one." She nodded again. "Then, I dunno. Maybe some simple toys? I mean, they're on the street, so they're not going to be able to have anything too fancy." He stopped himself from rambling and sighed. "I just want to help these kids out. Most of them have never had Christmas, and those who have, haven't since their parents died or were sent to prison and-"

"Jason." Cass cut him off. "I think it's a great idea."

"You do? You don't think it's pointless?"

"Of course not." She smiled at him. "Do you want to go shopping for them now?"

"Yeah! Sure, I'll get the-" He stopped himself, there was a fine layer of slush and ice on the road, there was no way he was going to take her on the bike in that. "I'll call us a cab."

"Okay." She turned into the bedroom, "I'll get our coats." He nodded as he placed his phone to his ear, already calling the cab company. She made a beeline for the closet, their leather jackets hung right where they'd be easy to grab. She frowned at the one she had bought at Halloween, it didn't fit her so well anymore. Her hand ran over her stomach, it was getting to the point that anything she wore showed it off, no matter how big it was on her. Pushing some clothes aside, she found her old jacket, the one Stephanie insisted she not wear anymore. Looking at it always reminded her of the first time her and Jason met, of a night that was still vibrant in her mind. For the years he was gone, it was a comfort of sorts to her, having a piece of the man who had stolen her heart so quickly, but after he came back to her, it turned into a memory. She pulled it on, it was huge on her, being Jason's jacket, but as she zipped it up, she noticed how well it hid her stomach. It was the only clothing that did and she couldn't help but smile to herself as she grabbed Jason's jacket to head back into the living room, this jacket was good at keeping secrets.

He was waiting impatiently by the front door when she came out out of the bedroom, she couldn't help but liken him to a child when he got excited about something. Any amount of time he had to wait was agonizing, and it took everything in his willpower not to complain the entire time. Cass walked over to him, waving his jacket in his face to get his attention.

"Right, I guess I need this." He said, taking it from her. She noticed a flash of surprise, seeing her in his old jacket again. "What? Did you give up on your new one?"

"For now." She replied, sticking her hands in the jacket pockets. "It just doesn't fit me anymore. This one hides my stomach at least." Jason frowned as she said it, kneeling down to talk straight to her stomach.

"I wish we didn't have to hide you, Peanut." He sighed. "We wish we could walk around, tellin' people all about you, but you'd be a field day for those media bastards." She smiled half heartedly at him when he straightened up, both of them were very much aware of what would happen if news of her pregnancy got out. They'd discussed it at length with the rest of the family, especially after the Halloween fiasco. The tabloids were dying down, and luckily, none of Gotham's reporters knew how to get in touch with her. Everyone else was chipping in, saying they weren't sure where Cass was now, probably off in some other part of the world, as was their cover story for any time one of them needed to be left alone.

A knock on the door broke their silent conversation, Jason turned to open it to a tired looking cab driver, who didn't seem to care that this building was abandoned, nor did he recognize Cass. The two of them followed him to his cab and Jason told him to take them to a mall a little ways away. The whole ride was a blur of cars and buildings, people on the sidewalks rushing to their next destination. Cass couldn't help but notice a strange sensation in her stomach, she frowned at it, anything out of the ordinary put her on edge as far as the baby was concerned. It felt like a bug was running across her belly, back and forth. She looked over at Jason, he was watching out the window and not really paying attention to anything. The sensation died down and she figured it was probably because she needed to eat or something.

They pulled up next to the entrance of the mall and Jason handed the driver his fare. He wrapped an arm around Cass' shoulders as they made their way inside. It was packed with shoppers. Jason muttered something about hoping this mall wasn't going to be so crowded before leading her towards a clothing store. She found it harder to keep up with him, with the belly in the way. She normally had to take two steps for his every one, which she could do just fine, but now she felt like she was running to keep up. The lack of her usual amount of exercise left her winded by the time they cleared the threshold into the store. He stopped to look down at her, concern spreading over his face.

"I'm sorry, Baby Bat. Did I walk too fast for you?"

"No, well, normally I could keep up with you easily." She sighed. "I'm not used to any of this at all."

"It's alright, you should be relaxing and taking it easy." He half smiled at her. "I'd be more concerned if you _could _keep up with me right now."

"But..." She sighed, stopping herself from complaining. It's not that she didn't enjoy being pregnant and find it exciting, it was that she was used to being in great physical condition. Her stomach being in the way was the hardest thing to get used to for her, and it was only going to keep getting bigger. Jason had lead her to a section of the store filled with coats, forgetting the conversation from before.

"What do you think, Baby Bat?" He pointed to some racks with kids' coats. "These look pretty warm."

"They look nice." She answered him. "Do we have any idea what size the kids are?"

"No, not really." Jason admitted. "But, this is a bargain store, we can buy a bunch, if they're too small, they can hold onto them for others who will probably join the group, and if they're too big, they can grow into them." He raised his eyebrows at her, he was always looking for her opinion on stuff like this, even though she usually agreed with him.

"That sounds like a good idea." She started thumbing through some of the racks, trying to find the warmest looking coats possible. "I know I appreciated it when someone gave me something like this back when I was on my own." He joined her in picking through the racks, pulling some off and draping them over his arm.

"I was never really _given_ a coat. I found a couple of decent ones, but no one bothered to give me one."

"I think most people who helped me did because I couldn't speak." She looked up from her task to watch him. "They felt sorry for me and I didn't like it." His eyes met hers and he nodded.

"I know how that feels, I hated people feeling sorry for me." He said, coming around to her to see what she had. "That's part of the reason I did everything on my own." He counted the coats on his arm, and the ones she had pulled off the rack. "This is plenty, we almost have two coats for every kid."

"You know how many there are?" She stepped away from the rack to follow him to the register.

"Oh yeah, how many there are, a rough estimate of their ages, how many boys and girls, who leads the pack, all of that stuff." He answered, stopping in line. "I told you, I've been keeping a close eye on them."

"I've seen them around and talked to a couple of them." She shifted what she was holding and there was a flash in his eyes, he felt guilty for making her hold all the coats she picked up. "I don't know where they live, I've never seen it."

"Well, you don't leave the house enough to really look for it." He smiled at her. "You've been a real homebody thanks to this whole pregnancy thing."

"Speak for yourself, I get out of that house as often as I can."

"Yeah, when Barbie or Stephanie come to get you, or I take you out, but-"

"No, I go for walks everyday." Jason was taken aback by the admission.

"What?"

"I take a walk everyday, while you're working."

"In Crime Alley."

"Yes."

"Cass, you can't just go walking around Crime Alley." He was panicked. "Who knows what could happen to you?"

"It's alright, I can take care of myself." A cashier waved them over just as he was about to say something else. She knew exactly what he was going to say though, she could play the conversation out in her head. As she set her pile of coats on the counter she heard him telling her that, yes, she could take care of herself, but she wasn't at her best at the moment. She would remind him that her worst was better than his best, and he would tell her that how good she was wasn't the point. His jaw would clench and his expression would become pained and he'd tell her he wanted her to be safe, that he wished she would just take it easy and not put herself in dangerous situations. She sighed, he was only ever looking out for her best interest, even if sitting around drove her crazy.

Jason had finished with the cashier by the time she finished the conversation in her head. As they moved to the next store, she could see him considering how to convince her to stay in the safe house and stop going out on her own.

"Alright." Cass said, causing him to face her as they walked. "I can't promise I won't go out and walk, but I'll be careful."

"That's all I can ask of you." He said. She knew he would prefer her to not leave at all, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop her. They entered a large store at one end of the mall. This place had more toys, clothes, and kid essentials than they knew what to do with. It was obvious that they set up the store to follow some kind of age progression. The first thing Jason and Cass saw when they entered was baby essentials. Cass' eyes flitted to all the items in front of her, wondering what they would need for their baby. She tore her eyes from the section to move on to the next area, with the toys for older kids. "Now, hold on." Jason grabbed her arm. "It doesn't hurt to _look_ at this stuff. We'll need to be shopping in this section eventually."

"I figured we had other shopping to do." She said it, but was walking into the baby section anyway.

"Christmas is still two days away, we have all the time in the world to shop for toys." He smirked as he followed after her. "Besides, we're allowed to dream, right?"

"I wouldn't call it a dream." She paused to look at some fancy dresses and suits hanging on a rack beside her. "It's going to be our reality soon."

"Of course it is." Jason had to remind himself of that all the time. There was still the nagging thought in the back of his head that something was going to go terribly wrong and they'd learn that this whole 'having a kid' thing was just an unobtainable dream for the two of them. As long as Cass still had hope, he held on. He cleared his throat, watching Cass circle the rack with the fancy baby wear. "Can you picture little Peanut having to wear something like this to a Wayne gala?"

"That's what I was just thinking actually." She ran her hand over a velvet dress. "I'm picturing all of them, not just ours, but Sarah, Haley, and Stephanie's baby, playing together at the manor, not just at the galas."

"That's going to be interesting." Jason smiled. "Backflipping babies everywhere. I feel bad for poor Alfred."

"Alfred loves it." Cass chuckled, moving on to another section. "He coos over Sarah and Haley like they were his own grandchildren, and he's very excited that Stephanie and I are pregnant."

"Yeah, Alfred seems to be really pleased with how we all turned out." He picked up a onesie that someone had discarded on the shelf. "Hey, Cass. It matches." He unzipped his jacket and held the onesie up next to his own shirt to show her how the graphic matched. She knew it was of a band that he liked to listen to, but she could never differentiate between all of them. It was an outline of a triangle with a rainbow coming out one side of it, he wore it constantly and it was his favorite. He was grinning widely at her like he had just found the holy grail of baby garments.

"If you like it, then let's get it." She said, turning her attention to the stuff on the shelves in front of her.

"You sure? You don't think it's silly to put a baby in a Pink Floyd getup?" She turned back to him, puzzled for a moment before realization spread over her.

"Oh yeah, that's the name of that band." She muttered.

"Cass! I play it all the time." Jason pouted at her. "I hope you don't pretend to like it to make me feel better or something."

"I do like it. It's just that I don't know all their names yet." She moved through the aisle again. "Besides, I don't listen to the band singing as much as I listen to you singing along."

"I didn't think you noticed that I did that." His cheeks flushed slightly. "Hey, if you like something, don't be afraid to get a little weird about it, right?" He smiled, puffing out his chest as he said it.

"That's right." She smiled back at him. "Which is why I think the onesie is perfectly fine."

"This thing's called a onesie?" Jason held it up to look at it again. "It reminds me of the leotard I wore under the Robin tunic."

"Barbara always called them onesies, so I assume that's what it is." Cass stared at a wall full of pacifiers in front of her. "I don't even know what we need and what we don't."

"I'm not sure either." He scanned the shelves. "There's the obvious stuff, clothes, some toys, and there's furniture over there." He pointed to a display of cribs past the aisle. "But, who knows what's absolutely necessary."

"I don't." She sighed.

"Sounds like we've exhausted our funtime in the baby section." He put an arm around her, directing her out of the aisle. "We should get the shopping done, I'm about ready to get something to eat anyway."

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry." Cass followed him to the toy section. "My stomach was doing something weird earlier."

"What do you mean?" Jason looked at her concerned for a moment.

"I don't know what it was." She scrunched her face up, trying to remember. "It's hard to explain what it felt like."

"Maybe it's just gas pain or something." He shrugged, looking over some toys and grabbing whatever pleased him.

"It could be. Hopefully it will pass." He snorted when she said it and she had to think about it for a minute to get what was so funny.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Her face flushed and she pursed her lips at him. "Hey, I'm serious. It's cute." She tried to shake it off and watched him pull some more toys off the shelf.

"Do you have an idea of what you want to get?" She asked, looking around the aisle.

"Actually, I'm just grabbing stuff that doesn't break easily, doesn't have any small pieces that can get lost, aren't big and bulky, so they can be moved if need be, and are kind of gender neutral. I don't really want to force the kids to play with stuff they may not want." He paused, looking at the toys in his hand. "At least I hope they'd like to play with this stuff. I don't know their tastes or anything."

"What do you think about getting them some books?" Cass asked, pointing to a book aisle off to the side.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'm sure some of the older kids can read, they could teach the younger ones." Jason followed after her. She couldn't help but feel guilty, looking at everything he was carrying, the toys, the bags with the coats in them, and the onesie he had picked up.

"I could carry something for you." She said, holding out a hand to take some of his burden.

"Nah, I have it." He shook his head at her. "Really." He responded to her making a face at him. "Everything is perfectly balanced here. You'd only be messing up my system if you took something."

"Yeah, sure I would." She looked at the shelves in front of her, instantly recognizing some classics. She'd never read them, but she knew the titles. _Dr. Suess_, _The Magic Schoolbus_, and _Little Golden Books_ were ones Barbara had told her about.

"Get a couple of older ones for the older kids." Jason said, his eyes scanning the books. She moved to where there were thicker books.

"This one has seven in the series." She held the book she just picked up to show him.

"_Harry Potter_? I'm sure the kids would like it." His attention remained more on the books for the younger kids. "If they want to read the other ones, they can go to the library."

"Are you looking for something?" She asked, joining him again.

"No, well... a little bit." He sighed. "I guess no one really cares to carry _Nate the Great_ anymore." Her eyes went wide and she tried to will away her reaction to him looking for the books that were sitting wrapped on their coffee table. "I know, it's silly of me to look for them."

"It's not silly." She shook her head. "'It's okay to get a little crazy about something you like', right?" He smiled at her, opening his mouth to say something when the ringing of his phone cut him off. He looked down at his full hands and she didn't miss a beat, taking the coat bags and the onesie away from him so he could answer it.

"Hello?" He didn't recognize the number, but not a lot of people called him. So he assumed that it was important.

"Is this Mr. Todd?" A male voice sounded on the other end.

"Yes? What d'you need?"

"I am calling to tell you that the ring you ordered is in and ready for pick up." Jason's attention shot to Cass, hoping she couldn't somehow overhear what was being said on the other end.

"Yes, I'll come get it later today, thank you." He said quickly, hanging up before the guy could say anymore.

"Who was it?" She asked, looking confused.

"Uh, wrong number." He lied, already knowing she'd see through it.

"You were pretty agreeable for it to be a wrong number."

"Alright, it has something to do with your Christmas present." He turned for the cash registers, taking a sidewards glance at her as he walked. She had a grin on her face and it got wider when she caught his eye. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just excited." There was a sparkle in her eye as she said it. "I'm not usually excited for this time of year, but I can't help it."

"You should be excited." He set the toys on the counter, and she set the books in a stack with the onesie on top. "Thi-"

"Are you expecting?" The cashier cut Jason off. They both turned to her, surprised. "You have the onesie, so I'm just asking."

"We are." Cass said. Jason couldn't help but feel weary about telling a random stranger. The girl seemed friendly enough, but he still didn't like it.

"Then you guys can get a discount on all of this." The cashier said, smiling at them. She gestured to a standing cardboard sign off to the side that had an image of a pink pregnant woman standing next to a list of discounts. From the look of it, the farther along the woman was, the bigger a discount she could get. The Cashier grabbed some measuring tape that was sitting next to her register and gestured for Cass to meet her at the end of the counter. Cass unzipped her jacket and the girl measured her stomach before going back to check her charts. "You surprised me, that jacket hid it so well that I thought you might only be a couple months in. But according to my charts you're definitely at five months, maybe a little more, of course that's just a rough estimate, everyone is different."

"Five months?" Cass zipped her jacket back up. "I'm not quite there, I'm only four and a half."

"Hey, the bigger the belly, the bigger the discount." The cashier started scanning their items. "The measurement I got just barely pushed you guys into the 30% discount." She took a sideways glance at Jason, "Having a bigger baby in there saved you guys some money." She ran the scanner over a barcode next to her, causing their discount to pop up on the screen. Jason pulled out his wallet to pay and they turned to leave, the cashier telling them to have a nice day.

"I was afraid that the baby was going to be big." Jason sighed as they walked out of the store.

"It's okay if it is." Cass shrugged.

"But won't it make it difficult on you?" Old fears were rising to the surface again. He wondered how many things could go wrong with a bigger baby in the picture, and how much more physical stress it could cause her.

"I'll be okay." She wrapped her arm around his, squeezing it. "Everything will be fine." This had become her mantra through the entire pregnancy. He didn't know how many times he'd heard her say it, but he was starting to notice something. There was the slightest quiver in her voice when she said it, like she didn't believe a word of it.


	16. Chapter 16

"Cass." Jason kissed her neck, pulling her in closer. She was sleeping on her back, which was unusual for her. "Hey, Baby Bat." He moved his mouth next to her ear. "Get up, it's Christmas." She stirred in his arms and he could tell she was awake, but she refused to open her eyes. "Hey, c'mon." He kissed her nose. "You said you were excited about today, I actually thought you were going to be the first one up." She yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she did.

"It's a holiday though." She grumbled. "Aren't we allowed to sleep as long as we like?"

"Of course." He placed a hand on her belly. "But we have a lot to do today and it's already noon anyway." She finally opened her eyes, squinting in the light. He pushed himself out of bed. "I'll get breakfast together, and you can get dressed, okay?"

"Okay." She answered as he pulled his boxers on and headed into the kitchen. It was then that she realized she was on her back. She sat up, stretching and waking her body up, before swinging her legs off the bed. Her back ached as she stood up straight and she rubbed it, wondering if the pain was from sleeping on her back, or if it had to do with her stomach being bigger, or both. She decided to get dressed, rather than dwell on it too much.

She was hit with a delicious aroma when she opened the bedroom door. Jason was looking pretty chipper by the stove. She leaned on the counter next to him as he finished up making them plates of pancakes.

"Good morning." He smiled, handing her a plate.

"You're in a good mood." She headed toward the table, with him close behind.

"Yeah, call me a sucker for the Christmas spirit." He sat down, cutting into his breakfast. "Something about it makes me kind of giddy."

"I saw you looking over the presents everyone brought over to the manor for today." She smirked at him, taking a bite of food.

"It's not about what I'm going to get." He waved his fork at her. "It's just the mood of the season. Although, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dying to open what you got me."

"We could do our gift exchange after breakfast if you wanted." He swallowed a bite of pancake before taking a sideways glance at the presents on the table, the little wrapped box with the ring he bought her sitting prominently in his field of vision.

"No, we'll do it later. I'd -uh- like to make your present the last thing I open." He cleared his throat, starting to feel anxious about her present. He'd been spending the last couple of days thinking about giving it to her, feeling like this ring meant more than he originally intended. Sure, they'd both decided that a legal marriage was pointless. They never discussed a symbolic marriage; one where they didn't have any kind of ceremony or make too much of a big fuss about it, but he could do something for her to prove his commitment. He caught her watching him out of the corner of his eye and tried not to think about it. He knew that she couldn't really read minds, only body language, but sometimes it felt like the two went hand in hand.

"Alright." She said smoothly. "I can wait." She set her fork on her plate, taking it into the kitchen. He followed after her, trying not to think about how he was going to give her the ring until it came time to worry about it. They set their dishes in the sink and he wrapped his arms around her, running his hands over her stomach. As he did, it felt like one of her muscles was twitching under his hand, he rubbed the spot, trying to work it out. "You feel that too?" She placed a hand on his, like she was trying to see if she could feel it through him.

"Yeah. It's just your muscle spazzing out." He said. "The way you were describing it the other day, I thought it was more inward, not on the surface."

"It is inward though. It feels like it's coming right from the middle of my stomach."

"Hmmm." His face scrunched up, trying to think of what it could be. "I have no idea. Maybe you should ask Barbie later."

"Good idea." She nodded. "She'll probably tell us it's normal and that we shouldn't worry about it."

"I hope so." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm ready for this baby to come out already."

"You have no idea." She laughed. "We're only halfway there, too. I have no idea what it's going to be like as that time actually gets closer."

"I will be the first to admit that I'll be a nervous wreck." He let go of her to go into the bedroom to get dressed. "We can talk about this all day, but there are some other kids who deserve our attention today." He pulled a pair of jeans on as she stood in the doorway.

"Right, we spent all night wrapping the toys and books." Cass yawned.

"Yep, exactly." He finished putting a shirt on and grabbed their jackets out of the closet. "That's probably how our Christmases are going to be from now on, up all night wrapping presents."

"Do you plan on doing this every year?" She tilted her head. "Getting presents for kids?" He paused before handing her her jacket.

"I haven't thought about that. I was referring to how we'll be having Peanut around at Christmas." She flushed a little.

"Right, I didn't think about that." She took her jacket from him and pulled it on.

"It's okay, it's still surreal to think about." He kissed her forehead before heading out into the living room where all the presents for the kids sat wrapped and ready. He carefully stacked them together, lifting them in his arms. He glanced at the stack of coats sitting on the couch, wondering how he was going to make it work before Cass scooped them up in her arms. "I could have gotten that." She eyed the load in his arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright, I probably couldn't have. It's a good thing we don't have far to walk." Cass walked ahead of him to open the front door, she was nearly knocked backwards by the intensity of the wind and snow that broke the threshold. Jason whistled, taking in the snowstorm, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

"Barbara was saying that we were supposed to get a snowstorm today." Cass said, holding the coats close to her for extra warmth.

"Yeah, that's why everyone was talking about staying at the manor last night." He headed outside and she followed. "We had to be here to take these gifts to the kids though." He looked back at her as she closed the door behind her. "Are you going to be alright? We could wait for the storm to blow over, or even 'til tomorrow."

"No, I'm fine." She smiled at him. "It's not far."

"Right, let's get going." He started heading into the back alley. "The place where the kids hold up is through a few of these, which will protect us from the wind for the most part." She followed him closely. Most people were holed up inside right now, either because they were in the middle of their own festivities, still asleep, or avoiding the storm, but they didn't see anyone as they walked. The alleys were preferable to the streets, like Jason said, the buildings cut off the worst of the wind and there wasn't as much snow on the ground yet. They came to the back of a building, the only way in was a doorway with boards on the top half. Cass ducked under first and Jason passed her some presents so he could get through without spilling them everywhere. He straightened up on the other side and groaned. "I used to hang out in places like this all the time as a kid and I'm realizing why they hide out in here. It's hard for me to get in here."

A brown haired, dirty faced girl poked her head around the corner to get a look at them. Cass caught her gaze and the girl contemplated her for a moment. "What are you doing here, lady?"

"Calm down, Caitlyn." Jason said. Caitlyn's attention shot to him. "She's here with me."

"Hood." She said, coming out of her hiding spot. "What are you doing bringing a stranger in here? She better not be from social services."

"Would I do that to you?" Jason looked at her seriously. "This is Black Bat, we come bearing gifts." He broke into a grin. "I thought you kids might like a little slice of Christmas." Caitlyn's face brightened a little, but she tried to hide it. From what Jason had told Cass about these kids, Caitlyn was the leader of the pack and she thought she had to be the most grown up of all of the kids. She hardly allowed herself to get excited about 'kid stuff'.

"I'll get the others." She said, rushing back in the direction she came from. Cass moved to follow her, but Jason caught her.

"We should let them come to us. They have their own little system set up here and I don't think they want us invading it." She nodded at him as Caitlyn came back around the corner with six other kids of all ages following. Jason frowned at the group, "Where are the others? Did they not want to come?" Caitlyn tensed, opening and closing her mouth a couple of times and searching the faces of the other kids for an answer.

"They -uh-" She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "They've been missing for a couple of days now."

"What?!" Jason's sudden shout caused the kids to jump. "They're out on their own in this snowstorm?"

"Like I said." Caitlyn swallowed, looking him in the eye now. "It's been a couple of days, we've looked everywhere," She gestured to the other kids. "but there's no sign of them. We were starting to think that social services got them."

"And that's why you were so weary of her." Jason glanced at Cass. She looked worried.

"How many are missing?" She asked. Jason did a quick head count.

"Eight of them. Over half." The remaining kids looked scared, they didn't know what was going on any more than Jason did. He looked between them, seeing siblings missing from the group. An eight year old girl was missing her twin that usually stayed by her side at all times. "Listen." He was quiet. "I'm going to find them for you. I don't care how long it takes." Some of the kids nodded, others had to wipe fresh tears off of their face. Jason cleared his throat, "How about you guys pick out a present and open one? Just make sure to leave some for the others."

The kids approached, tentatively picking out presents. Jason's mind wasn't on them though, he pulled Cailtyn off to the side, leaving the younger kids with Cass.

"Do you have any idea what happened to them?" He tried to stay as quiet as possible, so he didn't disturb the festivities.

"No, and that's what really gets me." Caitlyn hugged herself tightly. "It's happened before that someone in our group was grabbed by social services, but I knew about it."

"Where have you looked?"

"Everywhere." Her eyes were tired. "We even snuck over to Crown Point to see if they were being held somewhere. Nothing."

"I don't suggest you try that again." She nodded. "Listen, I'm serious. I'm going to find them even if I have to turn the entire city upside down."

"Thank you." Her voice shook.

"How'd you do that?" One of the kids exclaimed, causing both Jason and Caitlyn to look in their direction. Cass was kneeling, balanced on the balls of her feet, with the kids in a circle. On closer inspection, Jason noticed that they had opened some jacks and were learning the game.

"It's easy." Cass said, laying the jacks back down. "You bounce the ball and grab one jack." As she explained, she demonstrated. "Then you try to grab two, and so on." She kept going until all the jacks were in her hand. The kids looked on amazed and she tossed the jacks back down and handed the ball to the boy next to her. He tried to follow her example, but wasn't fast enough to grab more than one by the time the ball hit the ground again.

"I didn't know you knew how to play jacks." Jason walked over to watch the game and Cass turned to look at him. The change in her positioning caused her center of balance to shift and she tipped backwards, landing on her butt. It took him a moment to register that she just fell. "You alright?" He bent over, extending a hand to help her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She stretched as she straightened up. "And there was a little book with the jacks that explained how to play."

"And like always, you picked up how to do it and mastered it within minutes." He watched her rub her backside. "Are you sure you're okay? I've never seen you fall."

"I'm okay." She gestured to her stomach. "My center of gravity shifts a lot nowadays."

"Sounds like I'm going to have to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't hurt yourself." He said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "We should head back if we want to get to Bruce's in time. I want to talk to him about letting me off the hook for a little bit so I can find the kids, anyway." He turned his attention to the kids, some of them were still trying to figure out the jacks, others were looking through the books Cass picked up, none of them had noticed the pile of coats sitting next to the gift pile. He and Cass said their goodbyes and he reminded them to leave some presents unopened for the rest of the group.

* * *

"Master Jason." Alfred greeted them in the entrance hall of the manor. "You could have called, I would have come to get you two."

"I know you would have." Jason shrugged his jacket off and turned to take Cass'. "Frankly, it was worth sitting in the cab to see the look on the guy's face when I told him to drive us to Wayne Manor."

"I'm sure he was quite shocked." Alfred took their jackets and turned his attention to Cass. "How are you feeling, Miss Cassandra?"

"I'm fine." She looked tired as she said it.

"And how is the little one doing?" He couldn't hide a grin.

"As far as I know, it's okay."

"That's good, trust your instincts on this, Miss Cassandra. They won't mislead you." Jason couldn't help but notice a twinge of uncertainty on her face. He was going to have to talk to her about what was bothering her.

As they followed Alfred to see the rest of the family, Jason remembered that he was going to have to have a chat with Bruce first. It's not that he expected Bruce to be disagreeable with him about finding some lost kids, it was more just the idea that he had to ask _permission_. The den was fuller than Jason expected. Everyone else he expected to see was there, but there were a couple of extra guests. Jim Gordon was sitting on the floor with his granddaughters, not really paying much attention to anyone but them. Another woman he didn't know was sitting with Stephanie, chatting. He leaned down next to Cass so he could whisper in her ear.

"Who's the woman with Stephanie?"

"Her mom, Crystal Brown." She whispered back. "Stephanie was telling me she talked her into spending Christmas over here."

"I see." Jason straightened up. "I figured she must be important if she kept Stephanie from jumping you the second you walked in." Cass chuckled, parting from him to go greet Stephanie herself. He watched the two girls hug before turning his attention to Bruce. Like always, he was sitting off in an armchair, just watching everyone else.

"Hey, I need to talk to you about something." Jason said as he approached.

"What is it?" Bruce stayed rooted in his seat, waiting for Jason to answer.

"Uh, I think it would be best if we spoke in private." Jason looked over at Crystal Brown and Jim. Bruce didn't miss a beat and stood up, motioning for Jason to follow. As they walked through the halls to find a quiet spot, Jason had to appreciate how nice the manor looked. Every nook and cranny had some kind of Christmas decoration. Alfred certainly outdid himself. Although, he decorated like this every year. The lights on the outside of the manor were Dick and Tim's handiwork, though. They had asked Jason to come help put them up, but he chose against it. The only real Christmas tradition he and Cass participated in was decorating the tree on Christmas Eve.

Bruce finally lead Jason into another of the manor's dens, closing the door behind them. A tabby cat was sitting on one of the chairs, watching them intently.

"That one of Selina's?" Jason pointed to it. He knew Selina liked to care for strays, but he didn't know they roamed the manor.

"No." Bruce shook his head, eying the cat. "That one is Damian's. Selina's like to stay in her part of the house." Jason nodded. "What do you want to talk to me about? Is something wrong with Cass?"

"No, no, no." Jason waved his hands, not mentioning that if something was wrong, he would be talking to Barbara and not him. "I needed to talk to you about 'work'."

"What about it?" Bruce's expression changed. Jason was talking to Batman now.

"Well, there are these kids in Crime Alley that I've been looking after. I found out today that a bunch of them are missing, over half." He couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret that he didn't figure out they were going missing sooner. Some 'protector' he was. "I'm going to find them, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be partnering with you while I'm searching."

"Jason." Bruce looked like he was contemplating his next words carefully. "I know where those kids are."

"What?! Where? Are they okay?"

"They're fine, for now."

"Where are they though? I'll go get them."

"Not yet." Jason's heart sank with those two words. "They're not just 'lost', they're being held. If we're going to do this properly, we need to wait."

"Being held? What do you mean? Someone has them?" He could feel anger boiling in him, but he tried to suppress it. "Bruce, those kids need to get home, now."

"Back home to the alleys?"

"Yes, back home to their siblings, and their twins." Jason's vision flashed red and he clenched his fist, trying to keep himself calm. "Those kids only have each other and I'll be damned if they stay separated any longer."

"At least in the situation they're in, they get food and warm shelter. Once they are released, they'll go back to stealing and struggling to stay alive."

"Those kids don't struggle anymore than I did. In fact, they have a better chance, being in a group like they are."

"And what kind of future are they going to have like that, Jason?" Bruce walked past him, and he could tell that he was done with this argument. "Don't think of yourself as one of them. You're an adult, you're going to be a father in a few months. Think of what's best for them."

"What's best for them is to be with their family, Bruce." Jason grabbed his arm. The fact that he remained calm and didn't automatically react in some way told him that Bruce anticipated it. "Because that's all they have left."

"I'm going to save those kids when the time is right." Bruce's voice was quiet now. "If you want to be there to help, you better keep yourself in line, Jason." He pulled his arm out of Jason's grasp. "We'll talk more about this later. For now, it's Christmas, try to think about your own family." He left, closing the door behind him.

"You're one to talk about family, Bruce." Jason whispered at the door. The tabby cat had moved from it's perch on the chair and sat down next to him. Everything in him wanted to be angry, to grab Cass and go home and forget about trying to play things Bruce's way. The cat left his side to paw at the door, meowing at him. He opened the door and the cat sat there looking at him. "What? You wanted out. Go." The cat took the fact that he talked to it as a cue to start rubbing against his legs.

He sighed and kneeled down to pet it. The cat closed its eyes and purred, leaning into his hand. "Things were a lot easier when it was just me and Cass, out there on our own, doing things our way. The baby has complicated our lives so much, and it's not even here yet." The cat looked at him, like it knew exactly what he was saying and didn't like where he was going with it. Maybe it was just the guilt he felt for admitting that he missed life before Cass got pregnant. "Don't get me wrong, Cat." Why was he explaining himself to a cat? "I want this kid to come. It's just hard not to be anxious."

"Are you talking to my cat?" Jason jumped at the voice. Damian was leaning on the doorway with an eyebrow cocked at him. The cat abandoned Jason, rubbing on the legs of his master, purring louder than before.

"Maybe." Jason stood up. "He's much easier to talk to than some other people around here." His jaw clenched, it would be easy to somehow take his anger out on Damian, it's not like the two of them were close.

"I don't know what you and my father talked about." Damian spoke up before Jason could figure out what to say. "But..." He paused, looking like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. "Pennyworth says that dinner is ready, and I'm sure if you don't go soon, Cain is going to come looking for you."

"Did you come down here just to tell me dinner was ready?" Jason couldn't help but feel bad for wanting to take his frustrations out on the kid.

"No, of course not." Damian knelt down to pick up the tabby at his feet. "I came to make sure you didn't accidently lock Dart in this room."

"The cat's name is Dart?" Jason decided it was time to head to the dining room. At least there he could concentrate on Cass and try to forget about Bruce for a while.

"It's short for D'Artagnan." Damian walked with him, Dart still purring in his arms. "I finished reading The Three Musketeers not long before I got him. I was twelve, the name kind of stuck with me."

"It's definitely better than a generic name, like 'Fluffy'." Jason came to the realization that he never had a conversation like this with Damian before. "I think if I ever get a pet it'll be a dog. I'm more of a dog person."

"I'm considering getting a dog, actually." The walls that usually surrounded Damian seemed to fall when he was talking about animals. "I want a big one, like a Great Dane."

"Yeah, big dogs are the best."

"You concentrate on taking care of Cain and that baby before you think about getting a dog, Todd." Damian was back, and just in time for them to make it to the dining room. He set Dart on the floor and made his way to the table, next to Bruce. Jason found his spot next to Cass. Everyone already had their food, they were waiting for the two of them to join. Jason muttered an apology for making everyone wait and they dug in. It was different than Thanksgiving, rather than a large, group conversation, there were smaller, family conversations going on. Jason looked down at the food that was already on his plate, Cass must have filled it up for him while they were waiting. He turned to thank her for her trouble, but she was a step ahead of him.

"What happened between you and Bruce?" Her voice was quiet.

"I'll tell you later." She made a face at him that told him she thought he wasn't going to tell her. "I will, tonight. I'm gonna have to figure something out, and I want to talk to you seriously about it before I make any kind of decision."

"Okay."

"Did anything interesting happen in the den when I left? I hope I didn't leave you to the wolves or anything."

"I talked with Stephanie and her mom. She was asking me a lot of questions about you." Jason stopped his fork midway to his mouth.

"About what?"

"She just wanted to know what kind of guy you were. I think she's just paranoid from when Stephanie was a teenager and the guy who got her pregnant ran off on her."

"He did?" He scowled. "The bastard."

"Don't get all upset about it." She smirked at him. "If I know the story right, Stephanie beat him up later."

"Good, I expect nothing less of her." He finished off his food and stretched. A few others at the table were done as well, waiting on the slower eaters to finish. There weren't a lot of set traditions at the manor. When Jason was younger, the presents were usually all for him. There might be one or two for Dick, who tried to make an appearance around the holidays, but there was no one else around to buy presents for. It was funny for Jason to think of how it used to be, back when he was Robin, and compare it to now. Back then, it was like Bruce and Alfred tried their hardest to make their little dysfunctional family seem like one, but now there was no question that the people at the table were family. Although, still dysfunctional.

Cass elbowed his arm, making him realize he was absentmindedly staring around the room. Everyone had finished eating and were clearing the table. Dick and Barbara were grinning at Sarah, asking her if she was ready to see what Santa Claus brought her at the manor. Jason stacked Cass' plate on top of his, remembering why he started thinking about traditions in the first place. He didn't really have any traditions that he remembered from his family, and the manor always changed. He wondered what she wanted to do with their kid. Were they going to make a big deal about Santa Claus, like Dick and Barbara? Were they going to spend it at the manor, or try to put on their own Christmas? He wondered if she even had any attachment to Christmas, or any holiday for that matter. She seemed to forget what the date was all the time, hence her forgetting about her own birthday. The only times he remembered her even trying to keep up with the date was back when Tim and Stephanie got married, and his birthday. He felt like his list of things he needed to remember to talk to Cass about was getting longer and longer, with no sign that he was going to be able to start shortening it anytime soon.

Once the table was cleared, and the dishes rinsed off, they made their way to the den. Dick gave himself the responsibility of sorting through the mass of presents under the tree. Most of the presents were for his daughters in the first place, so no one minded the task falling to him. As the stack for the girls grew larger and larger, Jason couldn't help but wonder why they needed so many toys in the first place.

"Man, that's a lot for the kids." He said.

"This is nothing compared to what we had at the house and what Dad brought over this morning." Barbara gestured to Jim sitting on the floor with the girls. "And before you say anything about spending too much money on the girls, you'll do the same thing when your kid is born." Jason shrugged as Dick sorted the last of the presents. Cass made a face and placed her hands on her stomach as Jason stood up to go get their designated stack.

"What's the matter, Cass?" He overheard Stephanie ask. "Not feeling well?"

"No, it's not that." Cass answered her. "It's more like there's something twitching around in-" She couldn't finish her sentence, Stephanie stood up and practically ran to her before she could. Jason could swear he saw her hurdle over Jim on her way over, but Jim didn't seem to notice if she did.

"Where? Where is it, Cass?" Stephanie's hands were already feeling every inch of her belly, trying to find the twitch.

"It's right here." Cass pointed to the spot and Stephanie rested her hands there before cooing.

"What the heck is going on with you?" Jason stood up straight with presents neatly stacked in his arms.

"Are you dense? It's the baby, that's the baby moving." She wiggled where she stood with a big grin on her face. Jason's jaw dropped and the presents in his arms nearly dropped with it. He recomposed himself and set the presents next to Cass before picking Stephanie up from behind to move her back to her spot. "Hey! I was feeling the baby!"

"Yes, you got to feel it. Are you sure that's the baby though?" Jason set her down next to Tim and heard Dick behind him.

"Yep, that's the baby moving alright." He had left his post by the tree to feel Cass' stomach as well. Jason abandoned Stephanie to stand next to Dick, who grinned at him. "What are you going to do, pick me up and move me like you did to Steph?" Jason would be lying if he said he wasn't considering it. "You don't own a monopoly on her, Jason. She's my little sister and I'm excited that she's having a baby. I'm sure other people would like to feel the baby moving."

"It stopped." Cass said from the couch. Dick shrugged and moved out of Jason's way to sit with Barbara.

"Your kid likes to hijack holidays though." Tim said. "Thanksgiving was the start of the 'baby bump' and now at Christmas it starts moving."

"It's been doing this for a few days." Cass admitted. "We had no idea what it was though."

"You guys read the pregnancy book I gave you right?" Barbara paused from opening a gift for Haley to look over at them.

"Sure they did, it drove Jason to drink." Dick chuckled.

"I think it was your fault that that happened, Dick." Jason scowled at him. "Yes, we read the book, but it didn't register with me that what she was feeling was the baby moving. I always thought it would feel more like kicks and punches."

"Nope, she'll feel every time the baby moves. It's not much right now, but it'll get stronger and stronger as it gets bigger." Barbara smiled at Cass.

"You know, we always talk about how Cass is pregnant, but I'm pregnant too. Does no one care?" Stephanie mocked a pout, squeezing herself between her mom and Tim on the couch.

"Sorry, Steph, but this is your second pregnancy, not near as exciting as the first." Barbara turned to Stephanie. The conversation continued from there, but Jason's attention was directed at Cass' hands grabbing his and placing it on her stomach. He could feel the sensation from this morning again, but something about the fact he now knew that this was the baby moving made it more special. He smiled at her, there was something different in her eyes now. She looked like some kind of burden had been lifted off of her.

* * *

"I will never understand why everyone seems to think I like wearing red." Jason said, eyeballing a red sweater he'd received at the manor.

"Maybe it's because you're the Red Hood." Cass yawned and stretched. She looked tired, the excitement of the day drained her energy.

"Just because I have red in my name doesn't mean I like the color." He folded his arms. "You and Tim may have your favorite colors in your name, but it's not like I really _chose_ my name."

"So change it to your favorite color then." She started getting undressed, taking off her pants to get ready for bed.

"But... the _Green_ Hood would sound ridiculous." He put a hand on her arm, stopping her before she took off her shirt. "We need to open our presents now, Baby Bat. Did you forget?"

"No, I didn't forget." He noticed her cheeks were a little pink, she did forget.

"It's alright, you're worn out. It's only two presents, it'll be quick." He headed out of the bedroom with her close behind. He made a beeline for the couch and his nervousness returned when she sat next to him. He had thought of a small speech to say to her when she opened the ring, but his stomach was starting to churn and he could feel his palms getting sweaty. If only he had planned this out better. He didn't know the stories of how Dick and Tim proposed to Barbara and Stephanie, but he was sure that they went out of their way to do something romantic. She deserved something memorable, she should feel like a princess, or a queen, right now. Instead, she was sitting next to him on the couch, exhausted, pregnant, and half ready for bed. He caught her eye and she smiled.

"Do you want to open your present first?" She must have been reading his mind again.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." He swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to remind himself to breath every so often.

"Not at all." She picked up the larger present, handing it to him and leaning forward in anticipation. He smiled at her, ripping into the paper. The flaps of the box had been taped down and he had to pull out his pocket knife to open it. The only thing in the box was a bundle of books wrapped in what looked like saran wrap. He pulled the bundle out to get a better look and felt his heart leap in excitement. "I don't know if children's books were the best gift." Cass said quietly.

"Are you kidding?" Jason burst into a grin. "I'm going to read these stories to Peanut. Is this the complete collection?"

"That's what the guy at the bookstore said." She smiled back at him. "There are quite a few in there."

"Yeah there are. I recognize a few of these titles, but not all." He looked the collection over again. "You should read these too. I know that they're little kid books and all, but I think you'd like them."

"Okay, I will." He set the books aside and looked at the present meant for her, suddenly remembering his nerves. She picked it up and looked at him, like she was trying to decide if it was okay to open it. He nodded at her and she began ripping into the paper. The whole ordeal was made worse by the fact that the ring place had gift wrapped it for him and used a lot of tape. When she finally had the little velvet box exposed, he cleared his throat and placed a hand over it so she couldn't open it yet.

"N-now before you open it. I -uh- want to say something." Great start, Jason. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. "I know we've said before that the whole marriage thing wouldn't work, that it means more to you for things to be the way they are, but hear me out." She opened her mouth, but he stopped her before she could get a word in. "Hear me out." He tried to recall the words he had come up with on the cab ride home and swallowed another lump in his throat. "I know that I've proven to you that I'm committed to you many times over, but believe it or not I'm a sucker for symbolism. I wanted you to have something from me that- that would remind you –not that you need it I just . . . I'm getting off track- something that would remind you that I love you." He took his hand off the box, feeling a little more confident now that that part was over. "I guess this is my way of marrying you. It might seem a little unnecessary I guess," He chuckled. "but it means a lot to me."

She looked from him to the box in her hand and opened it. For a moment, he wished he could read people like she did because she just stared into the box and didn't react for what felt like forever. Finally, she took the ring out to look at it in the light. He watched her turn it over in her fingers before looking at him. She smiled widely and slipped it on her left ring finger, putting her hands on his cheeks and pulling him into a kiss. If they ever shared a sweeter kiss, he couldn't remember it. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly as she pulled back from the kiss to look into his eyes.

"I do." She said quietly. He couldn't help but laugh, he was too giddy about the whole thing. He grabbed her left hand to look at the ring. It fit perfectly and he had to mentally thank Roxy for knowing Cass' size. For now, his total focus was on the sight of a ring, his ring, on her finger. She slipped her hand out of his grasp and put it back on his cheek. He smiled wider, and pulled her into a kiss.

"I love you." He kissed her again. "I love you." Another, longer kiss. "I love you." The last one lasted even longer, he kept it going until he literally had to come up for air. The smile on her never wavered the whole time.

"I love you too, more than you'd ever believe." She said with a small laugh. "Does this mean we're married now?"

"Not in the traditional sense of the word, I suppose." He eyed the ring again. "We always kind of have been, we just have physical proof of it now."

"Like the baby wasn't physical proof enough?"

"No, well..." He knew she said it more as a joke, but he really wanted her to understand where he was coming from. "It's not like I don't think the baby is a good enough symbol, it's just, it wasn't planned and the kid is a person, not some kind of trinket. You know what I mean?"

"I do." She yawned. The excitement drained from her and she looked more tired than before. He reached his arms under her, picking her up to help her into bed.

"Heh, I feel like I'm carrying you over the threshold or something."

"You carry me like this all the time."

"Shh, it's special, just this once." He set her in bed and started getting undressed himself. "You know, it was good to see you so relaxed earlier, after we found out what you were feeling was the baby moving." She didn't say anything so he continued. "I've noticed you've been kind of apprehensive lately. Is there anything you want to talk to me about?" He pulled off the last of his clothes and she still didn't respond. "Baby Bat?" He crawled into bed, hoping she hadn't shut him out, but she was already fast asleep. She must have been more exhausted than he thought if she fell asleep with her clothes still on. "We'll talk about it later then."


End file.
